There's a First Time For Everything
by Smack77
Summary: 18 year old Obi-Wan Kenobi strives to be the best Jedi he can be while dealing with the same issues and urges as other teenagers. He follows the Code to the letter until one fateful day he is sent on a mission to help protect the new Duchess of Mandalor. Now all bets are off!
1. Chapter 1

**There's a First Time for Everything**

Chapter 1

Madam Jocasta Nu, the kindly temple librarian bustled around behind the counter clicking her tongue in concentration as she assembled a pile of holobooks the linguistics professor had put on reserve. 18 year old Obi-Wan waited patiently. As usual, he was the first person from his class to visit the library in search of the materials he would need to complete his homework.

He had always been a contentious student by going above and beyond what was required. Almost having missed his chance for an apprenticeship at age 13 had made a great impression on him. Obi-Wan fully understood how fortunate he was to have finally been chosen as a padawan by Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Every day he thanked the Force he wasn't in the Agricultural Corps and he made a vow to himself to never take for granted the chance he had been given. Because of this, he worked harder than anyone in his age group at his studies and lightsaber training, and followed the Code to the letter.

Some of the other padawans thought he was trying to show off by making them look bad and disliked him for it, but Obi-Wan didn't care. He was too busy most of the time to notice. Even Qui-Gon would occasionally encourage him to lighten up and go enjoy himself. "There's more to life than you will find in books my young padawan. Take the night off and go experience the world around you." he would say. "Your studies will still be here when you return." He thought of this as he waited for his books. Tonight he intended to take that advice. Garen Muln, Bant Eerin, and Reeft were all at the temple without their Masters for once and a rare night out had been planned.

"Here they are! These should contain all the information you are looking for, but if you need anything else please come ask." Madam Jocasta said and smiled as she handed an enormous stack of holobooks across the counter. Obi-Wan's heart sank as any thoughts he had entertained of going out with his friends evaporated. This was going to take forever. He politely thanked the librarian and gathered his belongings before heading for a table in the back of the library to begin his research paper on the various dialects of Huttese.

A variety of knights, initiates, and padawans quietly came and went around him as Obi-Wan worked methodically through all of the source materials gathering information for his project. Once that was done, he logged on to one of the library computers and began typing up his paper. Soon he was so immersed in his work that he lost all sense of time while outside the windows of the library, the afternoon shadows grew long and twilight began to settle over Coruscant.

When he missed meeting the others at the appointed time, Garen Muln came looking for him. "There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you." his friend whispered as he sat down in the chair across from Obi-Wan. "It's time to go! Get your stuff and come on!"

"I'm sorry Garen," Obi-Wan whispered as he looked up at his friend. "I didn't realize it was so late. You all go on without me. I should stay. I've still got three more pages to write and and an advanced hyperspace calculations exam to study for."

Garen rolled his eyes. "You have the best grades in class Obi-Wan. You could ace that exam in your sleep and the linguistics paper isn't due for another week." he pleaded. "We're going to that new club on Level 2685. It's supposed to be great and I heard that the girls there are more beautiful than the angels of lego." Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow at him. He didn't look convinced.

"Come on, man! The four of us haven't seen each other in over a year." Garen pleaded. "There's no telling when we'll get a chance to hang out again. You can study any time."

That hit home. Even though he thoroughly enjoyed his missions with Qui-Gon, he had missed his friends a lot. He looked down at his books a moment longer and decided the rest of the homework could wait. "Ok." he said as he saved his work and shut down the computer. "Let's go."

"Alright!" Garen broke out in a wide grin. "You won't regret it!"

…

While he was glad to spend time with his friends, Obi-Wan regretted coming into the club almost immediately. They found a table close to the bar and ordered some drinks. At first it had been fun. Garen and Bant told him about their latest missions and Obi-Wan listened with interest.

Loud music thumped and they watched as beings of all descriptions showed off their best moves on the dance floor. Everything had been great until they spotted Bruck Chun's friend Aalto at the bar. He was drinking with two beautiful girls that Obi-Wan didn't recognize. One was tall and slim with long black hair and the other was a gorgeous blue Twi'lek. Both wore skimpy outfits that left little to the imagination and now and then loud boisterous laughter punctuated their conversation. He wondered briefly what they saw in someone like Aalto.

"Is that Aalto?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah, it is." answered Reeft. "He was sent him back to the Temple a few months ago. I heard he was disrespectful to his Master." the Dressellian slurped his drink. "I don't mean to sound greedy, but may I have the rest of your fried crisps?" he looked hopefully at the two rolls left on Obi-Wan's plate. Obi-Wan smiled and obligingly pushed them towards his friend. He really had missed Reeft.

"Really? I heard it was for inappropriate use of the Force." Bant added. "He was always doing things he shouldn't when we were younger."

"Rumor has it he's going to be expelled from the Order when his Master gets back." Garen said. He's been in a lot of trouble lately. Can you imagine being sent home from a mission? Whatever he did, it must have been pretty bad."

Obi-Wan listened to his friends and nodded in agreement. He had never liked Aalto. The boy was a bully who had taken great pleasure in tormenting him when Qui-Gon had turned him down as a padawan. Hearing that he had been reprimanded for disrespectful behavior was not surprising in the least. He was shocked that Aalto had managed to find a Master at all.

Just then a girl about Obi-Wan's age walked over to the table. Her interest in him was obvious and he could feel her arousal through the Force. She was pretty, but it was plain to see that she was extremely drunk. He cringed inwardly.

"Hi there." she slurred looking at Obi-Wan with bleary eyes. "Want to buy me a drink?" she asked a little too loudly before stumbling on her high heels.

Obi-Wan was on his feet in an instant and caught her before she fell. "Much as I would enjoy that, I think you've had enough to drink for one evening. May I call you a taxi instead?"

The girl had obviously gotten the wrong idea and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't want a taxi. I want you. Come on, baby. Buy me a drink." she buried her face in the front of his tabard and inhaled deeply. "Mmmm…You smell good!" She leaned against him and inadvertently pressed against his lightsaber which was hanging from his belt. "Oooo…" she purred suggestively and grabbed his backside pulling him closer. "Somebody's excited!"

Obi-Wan's face flushed red with embarrassment. She was making quite a scene and people were beginning to stare. He turned to his friends for help but all of them were looking at the table trying hard not to laugh. Not knowing what else to do he subtly waved his hand before her face. "You don't want me to buy you a drink." he said quietly. "You want to go directly home and sleep this off."

"I want to go home and sleep this off." she repeated dreamily before returning her focus to him. "I want to go home and sleep this off…but I want you to come with me!"

Kriff. He'd have to work harder with Qui-Gon on this particular skill. Oh, well he though. Close enough. "Alright then, let's go." he said as he led her out the door where he waved down a taxi. Thankfully one stopped quickly.

"What's the matter with her?" the Ithorian driver asked. Obi-Wan could tell by a quick scan of his Force signature that he was honest and trustworthy and was truly concerned about the girl's wellbeing.

"She's had a bit too much to drink I'm afraid. Could you please take her home?" Obi-Wan asked politely.

By now the girl was practically asleep again his shoulder. He shook her slightly and she woke up enough to set her blurry focus on Obi-Wan and giggle drunkenly. "Hey, baby…mmmwanna go home."

The driver gave Obi-Wan a disgusted look and then agreed to take her. "Alright, lover boy. I'll take her home, but this is no way to treat a lady. You should be ashamed of yourself!" he chided. "Where does she live?"

The accusation stung. Obi-Wan always tried to do the right thing by helping others and he would never take advantage of a girl on a date. At least he wouldn't if he ever went on dates. For a moment he considered telling the driver what had really happened but decided against it. It wasn't worth the trouble. As gently as possible, he searched the girl's mind for an address which he gave to the taxi driver and carefully helped her into the cab. He paid for the trip and gave the driver some extra credits to make sure she made it into the house safely. After they left he reentered the club thinking to himself that no good deed goes unpunished. Unfortunately the evening was about to get worse. As soon as he reached the table and sat down again, Aalto came over.

"Oafy? Oafy-Wan Kenobi?" he laughed. "I thought that was you!"

"Hello Aalto." Obi-Wan replied. He tried not to let the goading bother him, but he still hated that nickname.

"You just Jedi mind-tricked that girl to get her to go home didn't you?" he brayed with laughter. "You're really something, you know that? A hot, willing piece of ass comes on to you and YOU send her home?" he scoffed. "Still the same old Oafy." Aalto shook his head. "It's just as well I guess. You wouldn't have known what to do with a girl like that anyway." he mocked before turning his attention to the others at the table. "Still hanging out with these losers I see. I bet you're all over here stoking each other off to stories about whose Master is the greatest."

Obi-Wan's anger flared. He knew he shouldn't have said it, but somehow he couldn't help himself. "At least we have Masters which is more than you'll be able to say after they expel you from the Order."

Aalto's laughter stopped and his face twisted into an angry scowl. "That's none of your kriffing business Kenobi." he growled before quickly regaining his composure. "Besides, who cares? Unlike you, my whole life doesn't revolve around the Jedi. Even if I do get expelled, I'll find plenty to do with my time." he turned and waved at the two girls who were waiting for him by the bar. They giggled and waved back. "I guess you wouldn't know anything about that though would you?"

Obi-Wan's cheeks burned as he looked at the floor. He had no response. He'd never even kissed a girl, much less done what Aalto was suggesting. "I didn't think so. "Bye, Oafy!"

…

Later that night the four friends walked back to the Temple. Reeft and Bant lived in a different wing so they parted ways at the Great Hall leaving Garen and Obi-Wan on their own.

"What a night." Garen sighed.

"Yes. It was quite an experience." Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. They walked on in companionable silence for a while.

"Is anything wrong?" Garen asked. "You seemed pretty quiet on the way home and I can sense that you're upset."

Obi-Wan sighed. "No. Well…maybe. I don't know."

"What is it?"

"It's what Aalto said. It's been bothering me." he stuck his hands in his pockets.

Garen's eyebrows drew together. "Which part?"

"That I wouldn't know what to do with a girl if I had one." Obi-Wan looked at the ground.

"Oh, that." Garen brushed the topic away carelessly. "Don't pay any attention to him. What does he know anyway?"

"I know. It's just…" Obi-Wan struggled to put his thoughts into words. "Well…have you ever, you know…with a girl?"

Garen looked a little sheepish and shrugged. "Well, yeah." he answered slowly. "Haven't you?"

Obi-Wan shook his head and looked away. "No. Not yet."

Garen stared at him for a few seconds with a look of surprise clear on his face. "No?" he finally asked. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I want to. Sometime I feel like it's all I ever think about, but he's right. I've never done anything."

"Wow! I always just assumed that you must have by now. It's not forbidden, you know. Why are you waiting?"

"I don't know. I suppose I'm just afraid that it might lead to attachment and I try very hard to follow the Code. I don't want to do anything that might lead me down the wrong path."

Garen thought about it for a few minutes before responding. "I can understand that. Following the Code is a noble goal to be sure, but sex and attachment don't have to go hand in hand. You can have one without the other. There are a lot of girls out there who get off on the whole idea of being with a Jedi. They know you can't become involved and they don't care."

"I suppose." Obi-Wan replied. "But it just seems wrong somehow to use someone to satisfy my own needs when I can't offer anything more in return."

"But as long as everyone is clear from the beginning about their expectations, where's the harm?"

Obi-Wan had no answer so he shrugged. "I don't know. So far I just can't bring myself to do that, but it's getting harder and harder to concentrate on anything else."

"You know what, Obi-Wan…what you do or don't do is nobody's business but your own. You certainly don't have to justify your decision to me or anyone else. Sex is a basic human need though and you're only human. My advice is to find someone who you find attractive and just get it out of your system. You'll feel a whole lot better!"

By now, they had reached Qui-Gon's apartment. Obi-Wan said goodnight to Garen and let himself in. He headed for his room with a lot to think about.

 ***Welcome to my latest story! I hope you will enjoy it. Please let me know what you think if you feel inspired to do so. I respond to all reviews and appreciate all your comments and criticisms as long as they are expressed constructively. My goal is to update at least once a week. May the Force Be With You!**

 **As always, all Star Wars characters are the property of Disney and George Lucas. I am writing this for fun and nothing more.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Obi-Wan tossed and turned most of night. "Find someone who you find attractive and just get it out of your system." Garen had said, "As long as everyone is clear from the beginning about their expectations, where's the harm?" The words repeated over and over in his head.

Perhaps his friend was right. Maybe he should find an attractive girl who was willing to sleep with him with no strings attached. After all, Qui-Gon was always saying that he should be open to new experiences. Why not this one? Then again…he shook his head. This was ridiculous. Plenty of other Jedi experienced physical intimacy without attachment. Why couldn't he? Aalto's sneering face appeared in his mind. "You wouldn't know what to do with a girl like that anyway!" he taunted.

Obi-Wan bristled at the insult. That's it, he decided. I'll do it. It didn't occur to him that decisions made in anger seldom turned out well. Instead, a thrill rushed through him at the thought of finally getting to do something he had obsessively longed to experience. "I wonder what it will feel like?" he thought. Obi-Wan pictured the most beautiful girl he'd seen at the club the night before and imagined what it would be like to kiss her. Would her lips be warm? Would her breasts feel as soft as they had looked on the dance floor? His heart skipped a beat as an x-rated fantasy began to unroll behind his closed eyelids and he felt himself harden in response.

One hand had begun to wander south when suddenly the alarm on his bedside table began loudly blaring the Coruscant weather report. Kriff. There wasn't time for this right now. He unsuccessfully tried releasing his feelings into the Force, then pushed the blankets aside and got up. Thankfully he had the apartment to himself since Qui-Gon was gone for a few days. He pulled off the thin cotton under tunic that he had slept in and headed to the refresher in his shorts for a cold shower.

Obi-Wan whistled a cheerful tune as he turned on the water. He felt fairly confidently about his decision until he began to wonder how to achieve his goal. How did you get a girl to sleep with you anyway? You couldn't very well just walk up to someone and ask, could you? He imagined approaching a beautiful girl and saying, "Hello there. I couldn't help noticing that you're very attractive and if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you mind having sex with me?" He laughed at the thought and rolled his eyes. Even he knew that wouldn't work.

Doubts began to pile up. Supposing he found a girl he wanted to sleep with, what then? What if she didn't like him? What if she thought he was dull? What if she didn't find him attractive?

Obi-Wan stopped brushing his teeth for a moment and looked at himself critically in the mirror. Was he attractive? He had never really thought about it before. The inebriated girl from the club had thought that he was cute and had a nice ass. Was she right? He studied his reflection closely. It looked the same as it did every other morning except for the small red pimple that seemed to be forming on the end of his nose. He twisted his body around as far as he could and tried looking at his ass in the mirror. It didn't seem especially nice to him although admittedly he was not an expert on such matters. Deciding he was nothing special, he shrugged and continued brushing his teeth.

In the cafeteria, he found Garen and Bant sitting together at a table in the corner. Obi-Wan went through the line piling his plate high with eggs, nerf sausages, and Iktotch toast before joining them.

"There you are!" Bant exclaimed with a smile as he sat down. "We were just talking about you!"

"Really?" he replied giving Garen a sharp look. He hoped he hadn't mentioned the previous night's conversation to Bant. "Only good things I hope!"

Garen was quick to answer. "Of course! We were just wondering what happened to that girl from the club. I bet she has a rancor sized hangover this morning."

Obi-Wan grimmaced. "I'm sure you're right. She was quite intoxicated. Please pass the carbosyrup." Bant handed him the sticky bottle and he proceeded to pour a generous amount onto his Iktotch toast before digging into his breakfast.

Bant looked at her chrono and quickly downed the last of her caff. "Well, much as I hate to eat and run, I've got a class." she said as she gathered her books and stood up from the table. They bid her goodbye, and watched as she exited the cafeteria. As soon as she was out of sight, Garen glanced around quickly and asked in a low voice,

"Hey, Obi-Wan. Remember what we talked about last night?"

"Of course I do." he rolled his eyes. "I thought about it most of the night. Why do you ask?"

"Well, when I got back to my room I had a message from this girl I've gone out with a few times. Her name is Julia. She's a student at the University of Coruscant."

Obi-Wan nodded. He didn't see what this had to do with him, but he listened politely anyway. "Julia." he repeated. "What did she say?"

"Apparently the sorority she belongs to is throwing a big party tonight and she asked me to come. She said I could bring a friend."

"A party?" Obi-Wan's eyebrows drew together. "What sort of party?"

Garen grinned wolfishly. "The sort of party that'll be crawling with beautiful girls who understand that you're a Jedi and don't care that you can't get involved if you catch my drift."

Obi-Wan's mouth hung open. "Really? How can you be sure?"

"Because I've been to a few of these parties before. Trust me. They all think Jedi are sexy. One look at your lightsaber and they will be throwing themselves at you. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but I just thought you might after what you said last night."

A slight smile began to tug at the corner of Obi-Wan's mouth and grew as he considered the possibilities. Maybe this was the opportunity he had been waiting for!

"Ah-ha!" Garen exclaimed, pointing at him. "You want to go! I can tell."

"Well, it would be interesting for a change." He tried to sound nonchalant even though he was humming with excitement. "What time should I be ready?"

"Tonight at 9:30. Meet me in the Grand Hall." Garen said. "You won't regret it!"

…

Later that morning Qui-Gon came back from a week long meditative retreat and was immediately called to a meeting of the Jedi High Council. He returned to the apartment when it was over and called Obi-Wan into the kitchen.

"Welcome back, Master! Did you enjoy the retreat?" Obi-Wan asked as he came out of his room. He had been polishing his boots in an attempt to look his best at the party.

"It was very relaxing, thank you. How have things been around here?" He leaned back against the kitchen counter, stroked his beard, and smiled. "I sense great eagerness in you, Obi-Wan. I'm curious. What is the cause of so much anticipation?"

"Oh, nothing. I suppose I'm just glad you're back." Obi-Wan fibbed. "Perhaps we'll be assigned a new mission soon."

Qui-Gon looked unconvinced. But having been a teenaged boy himself once upon a time, he knew it was probably something he didn't want to know about anyway so he pursued the issue no further. "Ahh. I see. Well, your wish has been granted my young Padawan. We have been given a new assignment." Qui-Gin turned and pulled a cup down from the cupboard and began making tea. A spicy floral aroma filled the air as he poured on the boiling water and allowed the leaves to steep. "Tell me what you know about about Mandalore."

"Well", Obi-Wan answered slowly, "It is the 5th planet of the Mandalore system in the Outer Rim. It was first colonized by a group of Taung warriors lead by Mandalore the First for whom the planet is named and it is the only known source of the indestructible iron ore beskar in the galaxy…" He rattled off everything he could think of about Mandalor from the fate of the Mythosaurs to the clan system to the New Mandalorian faction and finally the bloody Clan Wars that had raged in recent years.

Qui-Gon listened carefully. "Very good." he nodded his approval. "Having such a thorough knowledge of the planet and it's culture will serve you well during our time there. Now then, who is the leader of Clan Kryze?"

Obi-Wan thought for a moment. He had been required to memorize a long list of Mandalorian clan leaders for one of his galactic history classes a few months ago. "The Duke Adonai Kryze I believe." he said hoping he was right.

"If I had asked you that yesterday you would have been correct."

"Master?"

"He was killed in an ambush this morning right after breakfast."

"Oh." Obi-Wan said quietly. He tried to look appropriately solemn, but failed miserably. This must be why they were being sent to Mandalore. His sense of adventure flared. Knowing what he did of the planet's culture, the chances of this being a diplomatic mission were very unlikely. Visions of lightsaber battles danced briefly through his imagination. Maybe he'd get to try out some of the new moves he had been working on! The thought distracted him so much that he didn't pay much attention to what his Master said next.

"Kryze's daughter is the next in line to inherit leadership of the clan. She is here on Coruscant and just finished a course of diplomacy and statecraft training. We are to escort her back to Mandalor and stay until any threats to her safety are under control."

"Of course, Master." Obi-Wan answered. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight."

"TONIGHT?!" Obi-Wan said a bit too loudly. Of all the rotten luck! Why did it have to be tonight of all nights? The one time he actually had plans and the stupid Duke of Mandalore had to go and get himself killed. Kriff.

Qui-Gon gave him a stern look. "I certainly hope that's not a problem. Is anything wrong?"

"Obi-Wan schooled his features and tried to release his feelings into the Force. He reminded himself that a Jedi's duty was to keep the peace and help others in need. It was selfish to be upset about missing a party. Surely there would be other opportunities to enjoy himself after they finished this mission. "Of course not, Master. I will be ready to go as soon as possible."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

All afternoon sullen gray clouds built up in the sky above Coruscant. The light showers that had begun at sundown steadily intensified throughout the evening and by the time the speeder carrying Duke Kryze's daughter arrived at the hanger to meet them, rain was falling in heavy sheets. It matched Obi-Wan's mood perfectly.

On their way out of the Temple, they had passed Garen and Reeft. Reeft, who had apparently taken Obi-Wan's place for the evening was grinning from ear to ear as they laughed and joked together. It seemed terribly unfair that Reeft, who would probably spend the whole evening hovering over the refreshment table, was going to the party instead of himself.

They were probably arriving at the University right now he thought with a twinge of jealousy as he glanced at his chrono. It would a relief when the Duchess finally arrived. At least then they would be able to get out of the rain. Finally, a large speeder pulled onto the tarmac. The driver got out and unloaded a huge quantity of luggage. After what seemed like forever, a solitary figure in a hooded black cloak emerged from the vehicle and walked quickly past them up the boarding ramp and onto the ship without so much as a hello.

How rude, he thought as he watched the retreating form head directly towards the passenger's quarters at the back of the ship. With a sigh, he pulled his damp robe closer and turned to follow Qui-Gon on board. Unfortunately his Master had other ideas.

"Get the bags, Obi-Wan."

…

Obi-Wan stared absently out the viewport at the stars as they turned from twinkling sparks of light into white streaks. He double checked the gauges and the navicomputer and, finding everything to be in order, headed back towards his cabin to change out of his wet clothes. It would be several hours before anything else needed to be done in the cockpit and carrying all the luggage onto the ship had left him soaked to the skin and miserably cold.

After helping to pilot the ship out of Coruscant's orbit, Qui-Gon had promptly left Obi-Wan at the controls and gone to meditate. With his Master occupied and their illusive passenger locked in her room, he found himself alone. It was probably just as well Obi-Wan thought. The events of the evening so far had done little to improve his mood and the last thing he needed right now was a lecture on how sulking was unbecoming of a Jedi.

After a quick shower, Obi-Wan emerged from his room wearing dry clothes. As he passed the galley, his stomach growled loudly. In the rush to get ready for the trip he had missed supper at the Temple and now he was famished. Thankfully the galley was well supplied. He found some meat and cheese in the refrigeration unit and made himself a sandwich which he slathered thickly with mustard. A bag of moss chips and an ice cold fizzyglug rounded out the meal which he ate with relish.

After dinner Obi-Wan began to feel better. Things really weren't so bad. Starting a new mission was always exciting and he loved having the opportunity to see new worlds. There was no telling what adventures might await them on Madalore! He decided to focus on that and made a decision to put his personal problems out of his mind for the time being. From past experience he knew that there would be little time to think of anything but their work once they landed anyway. Best to concentrate on the present he thought. Everything else would sort itself out later.

Obi-Wan's thoughts turned to their mission. It seemed simple enough. The new Duchess would return and take command of the clan and everything would go along as it always had. All they had to do was make sure the transition of leadership went smoothly. How hard could that be? As long as the new leader did not stray too far from their predecessor's policies, it should be easy.

He wondered for a moment about the shadowy figure that had boarded the ship without a word. The galactic history class he had taken had mentioned nothing about Kryze's daughter. Was she capable of being a strong leader? His first initial assessment of her had been negative, but sometimes first impressions could be deceiving.

She had been shut up in her cabin for quite a long time now. It seemed odd to him that she was being so quiet and standoffish. Perhaps he should check on her Obi-Wan mused. He walked quickly to the back of the ship and stopped outside her door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he heard the muffled sound of choking sobs. She was crying! For a moment, he was perplexed and then overwhelming feelings of sorrow and grief that he hadn't noticed before pressed heavily at his senses. He stumbled back in surprise and pressed a hand to his chest trying to ease the second hand pain he was experiencing.

Obi-Wan mentally kicked himself. It all made sense now! Qui-Gon was often reminding him that he should pay more attention to the Living Force and here was a perfect example of why. Instantly he felt sorry for the unkind thoughts he had entertained about her. The poor girl had just lost her father. She wasn't being rude. She was grieving.

Stumbling back to the galley, Obi-Wan wondered what to do. He couldn't just leave her back there all alone, but comforting someone in such obvious emotional distress was not something he had much experience with. Back at the Temple they had been taught to release their emotions into the Force, but he was reasonably sure that wouldn't be much help in this situation. Finally, he did the only thing he could think of. He made her something to eat.

….

Satine Kryze barely made it into her cabin before collapsing on the bed. She had been so shocked to hear of her father's death that initially it had seemed unreal. In a daze she packed her things and rode to the Temple to meet the ship that was supposed to take her home. The minute she arrived and saw the two Jedi who were supposed to be her escorts, the cold reality of her situation finally hit home. It took a tremendous effort, but she managed to keep her emotions under control long enough to get on board. She didn't dare speak or make eye contact with the men who stood by the entrance ramp for she knew it would be her undoing.

Once she was alone, the tears began to fall. Adonai Kryze had been a strong, smart, and greatly respected leader to the members of their clan, but he had also been a wonderful father. In her eyes he had hung the moon. Never again would she see his warm smile across the breakfast table, or hear his infectious ringing laugh as they listened to the ridiculous comedians on the holovision. They would never again watch the sun set and share a iced yarba tea while she told him about her day. She hadn't even gotten to tell him goodbye!

For a long time, heartbroken sobs wracked her body until she began to feel nauseous. Forcing herself to calm down, she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. Tears still leaked from the corners of her eyes, but at least she wasn't going to make herself sick this way. As she lay there, a knock sounded at the door. It had to be one of the Jedi she realized. To her knowledge they were the only other people on the ship. She cleared her throat.

"Just a minute please." she called as she hastily wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She stood up from the bed and her knees shook so badly she could hardly walk across the room to answer the door. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't had anything to eat all day. The news about her father had arrived before breakfast and she had been too busy and too upset to think about food until now.

With a sigh she palmed open the door. Satine had been expecting the older Jedi, but was surprised to see the younger one was there instead. He was about her age, tall, and well build with short auburn hair and a long thin braid which hung down the right side of his neck. The kind blue eyes in his handsome face were anxious and full of sympathy. She suddenly realized he had something in his hands.

"Hello there. I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi." He held up a plate that smelled strongly of mustard. "I thought you might like a sandwich."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Satine, for that was her name he had learned, sat crosslegged on the bed across from him quietly munching her sandwich. She was much younger than he had imagined she would be. Obi-Wan had been expecting someone quite a lot older and was greatly surprised when the door opened to revel a girl approximately his own age. She had removed the heavy black cloak and he now saw that she was tall and slim with silvery blond hair and extremely fair skin. Her blue eyes were red and swollen from crying and her face was blotchy.

"Thank you so much Obi-Wan. I didn't realize I was so hungry." Satine said quietly as she dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. She pushed the plate aside and leaned back against the wall drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It made her look very small and very alone.

"You're welcome." Obi-Wan replied. "I wish there were something more I could do. I'm so very sorry for your loss."

Satine's chin quivered for a moment as she blinked back tears and nodded.

"Is it alright if we talk about something else?" She asked once her voice was under control once more. "I'm afraid if I start crying again I'll never stop."

"Of course!" he answered quickly. "Anything you like."

"Tell me about yourself. I've always been curious. What's it like to be a Jedi?"

He shrugged. "I'm not technically a Jedi. Not yet anyway. I'm a padawan learner." She gave him a curious look. "It's like an apprentice. After I've learned all I can from Master Qui-Gon I'll take the trials and if I pass then I'll be knighted."

The evening passed quickly as he told Satine all about his life with the Jedi. At first Obi-Wan worried that he was talking too much or that the conversation would distress her in some way but he soon found that she really was genuinely interested in his stories.

Inevitably the conversation turned to his Force abilities. In the past, talking about that particular subject with an outsider usually made him a little self-conscious, but for some reason he didn't feel that way with her. He demonstrated a few of his powers by Force pulling a data pad across the room and even managed to make her smile by levitating the bed they were sitting on. He was about to show her his lightsaber when a beeping sound from the cockpit alerted him that they were about to drop out of hyperspace. It was time to program the next jump.

"I should go take care of that." he said indicating the alarm. Satine nodded. She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn that practically split her in two. It was obvious she was exhausted. "You should try and get some rest."

"I will." she answered as he prepared to leave. He had just reached the door when he heard her call after him.

"Obi-Wan?"

He stopped and turned back to face her. "Yes?"

"Thank you for everything tonight. The dinner, the conversation….it means more to me than you know. I really appreciated the company."

A delightfully warm feeling washed over him and he smiled. It always felt good to help others, but for some reason this time it was especially pleasurable. "You're most welcome. Goodnight Satine."

"Goodnight Obi-Wan."

…

The first sign of trouble came sooner than expected. After Duke Kryze's burial, the mourners assembled at the large Kryze family home where a meal had been prepared. People stood around in small groups eating, talking quietly, and sharing their memories of the fallen leader while Satine and her family took time to speak with everyone who came to offer their condolences.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon watched everything from an out of the way corner. So far there had been no indication that anything was amiss.

Obi-Wan looked around the room and idly wondered how much longer this would last. They had been standing her for what seemed like hours already and no-one showed any signs of going home. He was bored. If only they could get back to the ship he could run through some katas. It would feel good after the relative inactivity of the last few days.

Qui-Gon must have sensed his inattention. "It isn't prudent to let your mind wander padawan. Always be present. Things have a way of happening when you least expect them to and you need to be prepared."

"Yes, Master. I…" before he could finish there was a ripple of discord in the Force. They both felt it an instant before the shouting started at the other end of the room.

Satine's red-headed sister's face was contorted with anger. "Not seek revenge?! You can't be serious, Satine! After our father was killed by those…those…", she couldn't even finish the sentence, "And now you want peace?!"

"Of course I do! It's the only way! We've lost our mother, our brother, and now our father to the never-ending violence on this planet. Poor little Korkie will have to grow up never knowing half his family as a result of these pointless battles. We're all that's left." Satine looked sadly at her tiny nephew. The loud voices had frightened the boy who toddled quickly to his mother, held up his chubby arms, and whimpered to be picked up. "Our differences will never be solved if we can't stop fighting long enough to find a solution. Peace is the answer."

"You sound like one of the New Mandalorians." the sister growled furiously. "You're a disgrace to Papa's memory! He'd be ashamed of you."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Satine stepped back as if she'd been slapped. When she finally replied, her voice shook with fury. "How dare you! Papa taught me to think for myself and the more I do, the more I realize that the New Mandalorians are the only ones on this planet with any sense. _I_ am in charge now and _I_ will do things as I see fit. I believe we should join forces with the New Mandalorians!"

The guests looked at each other in shock. This was a major departure from Satine's father's views. He had been a staunch believer in the traditional Mandalorian custom of waging war for the glory of their world. The revelation that their new clan leader had strong New Mandalorian leanings created quite a stir and everyone began talking at once. A few agreed with her, some were confused, but most were very, very angry. Shouting and arguments broke out and soon there was chaos.

A small group of men who had been standing together on the other side of the room looked at each other knowingly and silently made for the door. In a flash, Obi-Wan saw glimpses of their murderous intentions through the Force. His hand flew to his lightsaber and he started after them but Qui-Gon stopped him.

"Wait, Obi-Wan!"

"But they'll get away!" He exclaimed. "Did you see what the want to do to her? We've got to stop them!"

"I know," he nodded, "and we will, but we can't stop them when they haven't done anything yet. We've got to get to Satine."

They fought their way through the crowd of angry Madalorians to the place where she stood, still facing her sister. In the time it took to get to her side, the argument between the two had escalated dramatically.

"I can't control what you do Satine, but know this. If you really do align this clan with the New Madalorians then you are dead to me. We will no longer be family."

All the color drained from the Duchess's face. "Bo, wait," Satine cried. "Don't leave like this. I…"

"Goodbye Satine." Her sister turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Most of the guests followed and soon the room was empty.

…

Obi-Wan made his way through the quiet house checking to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. After the scene that afternoon, Satine had told them she wanted to be alone and shut herself in her bedroom.

It had never occurred to him that Satine might want to change the status quo when she returned as Duchess. Mandalorians were notorious the galaxy over for being fierce warriors. It was a huge part of their culture. Anyone who tried to change that would be facing enormous opposition, yet here was someone willing to try it in an effort to make her world a better place.

All of this made him view the slight girl he had met just a few days ago in a new light. Behind the young, inexperienced exterior lay a steely resolve and a braver heart than he could have possibly imagined and he respected her greatly for it.

"Is everything secure?" Qui-Gon asked. "I have a feeling we may have company because what happened after the funeral."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I double checked everything."

"We'll need to find somewhere else to stay after tonight. It isn't safe for her here anymore."

There was a soft click as the door to Satine's bedroom opened. She made her way to the living area where the two Jedi sat talking. Just as she sat down on one of the sofas there was an almost inaudible noise from the hall. Obi-Wan's danger sense prickled and immediately he was on his feet, lightsaber in hand.

"What is it?" Satine whispered anxiously.

Qui-Gon put a finger to his lips and motioned for Obi-Wan to stay where he was. Then he silently circled through the kitchen to sneak up behind whoever was in the hall. As soon as he was gone, a hail of blaster fire erupted from the dark hallway. Satine dove onto the floor as Obi-Wan deflected the shots with ease. In a moment, the shooting stopped as abruptly as it had begun and Qui-Gon entered the room again pushing one of the men from that afternoon before him.

"What do you want here?" he asked softly. The man sullenly looked at the floor and didn't reply. "I'll ask you again, what do you want here." Qui-Gon asked again twisting the man's arm behind him a bit more tightly than before. He gasped.

"We want a leader willing to stand up for our ideals not some stupid little bitch who whines for peace." The man spat out the word peace like it had a foul taste. Then he caught sight of Satine who was cautiously rising from the floor and gave her a look of outright disgust. She fearlessly met his gaze.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but as the new Duchess I must do what I think is right."

"You do that." he sneered. "Just know you'll be dead before the week is out."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Morning sun filtered through the trees as Obi-Wan slashed and parried his way through a series of increasingly difficult lightsaber maneuvers. He wished he had a training droid to practice with, but at least the rapid movements helped him expend some of the nervous energy and agitation that had been building up inside him lately.

In the days following Duke Kryze's funeral several more attempts had been made on Satine's life. They left the family home and tried moving her from one town to another, but she was too well known and word of her presence was impossible to cover up. When it became clear that bounty hunters were after her as well, Qui-Gon decided it was time to go off planet. After a few close calls and some extremely daring piloting on Obi-Wan's part, they managed to make it off Madalore and arrived on Draboon a few days later.

They had now been there a week and were camped out in a cave in a forrest in the middle of nowhere. The weather was gloriously warm, there was a lake nearby so they had plenty of water, and so far no-one had found them. If they hadn't been on the run, it would have seemed like a vacation.

Satine had finally started to loose the pinched and anxious look she had worn since the day of the first assassination attempt. Each morning she got up and exercised before making breakfast for all of them. She insisted it was the least she could do since they were protecting her. After that, she would sit by the lake and work on her data pad for hours. Obi-Wan asked her what she was doing once, but she wouldn't say. She simply smiled mysteriously and said she would tell him when she was done and the time was right.

In the evenings after dinner, they would play card games, talk, or lay on their backs in the tall grass next to the cave and pick out constellations. The night sky was pitch black and with no light pollution the stars looked close enough to touch. During these quiet nights, they learned a lot about one another and soon became fast friends.

After one such night, Obi-Wan went to bed and found he couldn't stop thinking of the way the moonlight had illuminated Satine's fair skin and made her flaxen hair sparkle like strands of silver. He couldn't get the image out of his mind and when he went to sleep he dreamed about her. In the morning, he couldn't remember what the dream was about, but he was left with a strong sense of longing which he didn't quite understand.

His eyes began lingering on her longer than necessary when he thought she wasn't looking. He rationalized this by telling himself that it was solely out of a desire to do his job well. After all, how could he protect her properly if he wasn't aware of what she was doing at all times?

One day Obi-Wan came back from checking on the ship to find her standing in a clearing beside the cave. She tapped the screen on her data pad several times and suddenly music poured out of the speakers. A bright smile lit her face and she laughed. By the time he walked out of the trees, she was swaying happily to the beat. To his dismay, the moment she saw him, she stopped and turned down the music.

"Don't stop! I didn't mean to interrupt you." The song sounded familiar and he tried to think where he'd heard it before. "What are you listening to?"

"Sy Snooties. I love her music." Satine grinned. "Do you like to dance?"

Obi-Wan blanched. "I'm afraid I've never tried. It does look like fun though."

"You've never danced? Really?" She looked as if she couldn't believe it. "Well, we're going to change that right now. Come over here!" She motioned for him to join her. "It's simple. Just listen to the music and move to the beat." Satine turned up the volume again and the song started over. "Watch me!"

Obi-Wan hesitantly walked forward and faced Satine who began moving back and forth. "Come on. You can do it!" she encouraged. He began haltingly stepping from side to side. She nodded reassuringly. "That's it! Now try adding your arms like this." She demonstrated what she meant and he tried his best to copy it. He felt rather foolish, but surprisingly she seemed to think he was doing fine so he continued.

Before long they were having a marvelous time. They laughed and danced through three more fast songs. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and just starting to loosen up when a slow romantic ballad began to play. Obi-Wan stopped. He had seen couples dancing in each others arms to this song when he had visited the club on Coruscant with his friends. It had seemed more like an embrace than a dance to him at the time. That sort of dancing was much more intimate than what they had been doing so far.

Would she let him put his arms around her? His heart skipped a beat at the thought. Even if she let him, should he? Looking at her now with laughter sparkling in her eyes and her cheeks pink from the exercise, he wanted to touch her more than anything. Thankfully, she made his decision for him.

"Come on, then." she smiled up at him, stepped closer, and slipped her small hand into his. "Put your arm around me like this…" she placed his other hand on her back, slid her arm around his shoulder, and leaned against his chest. Just like that they were slow dancing.

As they gently swayed to the music, Obi-Wan was in heaven. He closed his eyes and inhaled the captivating scent of her hair. It smelled like the jade roses that grew in his favorite meditation garden at the Temple only better and he found himself wishing the dance would never end. All too soon, the song finished and she stepped away from him. He reluctantly let her go and after a moment of awkward silence, stuttered something about having to go ask Qui-Gon about their mission and hurried away.

The next week Qui-Gon decided that they needed to find a town where they could replenish their supplies. After studying a map, they decided to try the village of Tannis that lay on the other side of the forrest.

"It should have all the things we need and it's not so far away that we can't walk. I'd prefer to leave the ship hidden for now. No-one knows we're here and I'd like to keep a low profile. If we start in the morning, we'll make it to the town limits before sundown."

Obi-Wan stood back and absently stroked his chin. "Tannis." he repeated to himself. "Do you suppose anyone will recognize Satine there? Her disappearance has become quite the headline. I just heard another report about it on this morning's news broadcast."

"It should be safe. We're far enough away from Madalore that I doubt anyone will notice her. Still, we shall have to be vigilant."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Indeed. I'll go tell the Duchess that we're leaving in the morning."

After looking for her unsuccessfully in all the usual places, Obi-Wan went to the lake. Sometimes Satine liked to sit and read there. It was a short distance from their campsite and he whistled a Sy Snooties song as he jogged along the path towards the water. As he approached, he quickly scanned the rocks where she usually liked to sit but found nothing. She wasn't there.

He could sense her presence, but couldn't see her anywhere. Where could she be, he though to himself as he skirted the edge of the lake. His question was quickly answered when a loud splash broke the silence and sent water splattering all over him. Satine, who had seen him coming down the path, had hidden behind one of the larger rocks and waited until he was in the perfect position to be splashed when she jumped in the water.

"So that's where you are!" He laughed, wringing water out of the hem of his tabard. "What are you doing?"

Satine's wet head bobbed on the surface of the water and she giggled. "I believe it's called a cannonball."

"I see." he cocked an eyebrow and grinned wickedly. "You do realize that revenge is now an inevitably?"

"Do your worst Jedi!" she laughed merrily. "I'm not afraid of you!"

With a flick of his wrist he sent a huge wave of water crashing right on top of her. She came up for air sputtering and laughing as she pushed wet strands of hair out of her face.

Once they had stopped laughing, Satine started swimming towards the shore. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Master Qui-Gon says we're going to Tannis tomorrow. We need to pick up more supplies. The plan is to leave first…thing… in… the…."

As he tried to finish his sentence, the young Duchess reached the shore and began to climb out of the water. She was wearing bathing togs the same color blue as her eyes. It was a simple one piece suit, but the way it clung to her wet body was stunning. Instantly every other thought fled his mind.

"Would you hand me that towel please?"

She was saying something, he knew she was. But his brain seemed to have become dislodged from the rest of his body somehow and all he could do was stand there mutely rooted to the spot. Water rolled down her long beautifully shaped legs and a hint to cleavage showed in the scoop neckline. It must have been cold in the water for he could see the faint outline of her nipples through the wet material. His mouth went dry.

"Obi-Wan?"

He suddenly realized he was staring and jerked his eyes away. "Yes?"

"Could you hand me my towel? It's right there beside you."

The towel! "Of course." he mumbled as he picked it up. Her fingers brushed his as he handed it over and a delightful shiver ran up his arm.

"Thank you." she said as she wiped her face and wrapped the towel around herself. A look of concern crossed her delicate features. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you." he answered a bit too quickly. "Just lost my train of thought for a moment. I should get back and change." he indicated his wet clothes. "See you back at the cave."

He tuned and started back to the campsite. As he walked, conflicting thoughts of friendship, the Jedi code, starry nights, attachments, slow dancing, duty to others, and Satine's breathtakingly gorgeous body whirled through his head in rapid succession. No, he definitely wasn't fine. That much was certain.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I think we picked a good day to come." Qui-Gon smiled as he looked through his macro binoculars. "It appears they're having a festival. With so many people here it should be easy to blend in and get the things we need without calling too much attention to ourselves."

They stood at the top of a hill overlooking the bustling village of Tannis. From their position they could see several neat rows of houses lining the streets. There was a small square at the center of town around which most of the stores were located. An open air market with vendors had been set up in the square and a midway stood on the outskirts of town complete with rides, games, and food stalls.

Obi-Wan took the macro binoculars and looked for himself. A large banner hung across the main street in the center of town. "25th Annual Lapis Festival." he read out loud. "It certainly looks like everyone is having a good time."

"What is Lapis?" Satine asked.

"It's a semiprecious gemstone that is used to make jewelry, art, and furniture" Qui-Gon answered.

"Furniture?"

"Yes. Lapis forms in large sheets. It can be used to make things like counters and tabletops."

"How interesting!"

"Draboon is one of the galaxy's largest sources of Lapis. It's mining and export are a major part of the planet's economy."

"There's a mine a few miles outside of Tannis." added Obi-Wan. "I read that most of the town's people work there."

Satine nodded. "I see."

Qui-Gon slid the binoculars back into his pack. "I think we should split up. Anyone looking for us would be watching for a group. We'll keep our comlinks on just in case and meet back here in two hours. I'll get the camping supplies we need. Obi-Wan, you and Satine take the grocery list." He threw his pack over one shoulder and started down the hill, then stopped and turned back. "Try not to use your real names where anyone can hear you."

They both nodded and watched as the older man strode towards Tannis. After a few minutes, they started down the hill after him. It was a beautiful afternoon and the sun was warm on their backs. As they approached the carnival on the outskirts of town, happy screams could be heard from the rides.

"So where should we go first?" Satine asked. "It shouldn't take too long to get the things on this list."

She was right. A grocery store was one of the first shops they came to. With both of them working together they were able to find everything they needed in record time. Obi-Wan paid for the food with the credits Qui-Gon had given him and they exited the store with several bags.

"Well, that certainly was easy." Obi-Wan commented as they headed back towards the edge of town. So far they had encountered nothing suspicious and no one had given them a second look. Everyone around them was in a celebratory mood. It seemed they were having far too much fun to pay attention to the two of them.

As they approached the carnival, Satine stopped and looked through the gates at the crowds of happy people enjoying themselves. A wistful look crossed her face. "Do you think we could go in?"

Obi-Wan hesitated. It certainly did look fun, but he knew they probably shouldn't take the chance. So far they had been lucky, but any moment someone might recognize the young Duchess. He was about to say no but she looked up at him with such a hopeful look he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"We still have an hour before we have to be back. It looks like such fun!" she pleaded. Her crystal blue eyes looked up at him and he was lost in their magical depths. "Please?"

"Well, I suppose we could go in and look around for a little while." He had a feeling Qui-Gon would not be in favor of this. It worried him a little, but he pushed his feelings aside. After all, wasn't his Master always encouraging him to experience life? She broke into a glowing smile that warmed him all the way to his toes and any thoughts of Qui-Gon's possible objections instantly evaporated.

They found a locker near the carnival entrance and deposited their groceries inside. Then, they strolled through the gates. The tempting aroma of fried puff cakes and spun carbo candy filled the air. Children ran back and forth shouting at their friends and chasing after one another. Carnival barkers yelled tirelessly trying to entice people to try their luck at the games. They passed a dart throw, a knock-em-down bottle game, an Ithorian guessing people's weight, and a goldie fish bowl toss.

As they approached the end of the asile, Obi-Wan stopped short and stared in amazement at the final booth. "What is it?" Satine asked looked at him to see why he had stopped. He pointed incredulously at the sign.

" _Jedi Jamboree_!" it said in blinking red letters. Beside the title was a picture of a small ugly gnomelike creature with long pointy ears gleefully stabbing a snarling gundark through the heart with a lightsaber.

"Oh, dear." Satine cringed. "It isn't very flattering is it?"

"That's supposed to be Master Yoda." Obi-Wan fumed. "Jedi don't go around stabbing non sentient being just for the fun of it! Jedi Jamboree indeed! What sort of a game is this anyway?!"

"It is pretty bad." Satine agreed. "I can't see what sort of game it is, but look at the prizes!" she pulled his arm and led him to a table covered with all kinds of small trinkets made of Lapis. "So that's what it looks like! I've never seen any before."

Obi-Wan looked closely at a small statue of an equine with a chrono embedded in it's side. The surface was a brilliant aquamarine that seemed to change colors in the sunlight. It was quite pretty. "It reminds me of the inside of a Seafah shell."

"Turquoise is my favorite color." Satine told him. "If I could have anything on the table, it would be that." she pointed to a delicate gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant made of the blue gemstone that sat near the back of the table. "It's beautiful." she sighed.

The fat, balding middle aged man running the booth had overheard her comment and came right over.

"Not half as beautiful as you!" he flattered in an unpleasantly oily way. His tone and condescending familiarity irked Obi-Wan immediately. "Hi, I'm Yan." He looked dismissively at Obi-Wan for a moment. "Think your boyfriend can win you that necklace?"

Boyfriend! Yan thought he was Satine's boyfriend? The thought secretly thrilled him, but he was afraid Satine might be upset by such a statement not to mention the fact that she was perfectly capable of winning the necklace herself should she choose to do so. He was about to say something when she slid her arms around his waist and gazed up at him adoringly. He froze.

"Oh, could you Ben?" She purred. Ben? Time stood still. It felt like they were the only two beings in the galaxy and before he knew it, he found himself nodding dumbly. He wondered at himself. No other being in the galaxy could have persuaded him to play _Jedi Jamboree_ except the lovely Satine. He hated to admit it, but he'd have walked in front of a speeding hoverbus if she asked him to.

"It's easy. You get three tries." Yan explained as he disappeared under the counter and began hunting for something. "If you hit a gundark you win a prize." It sounded easy enough.

Soon Obi-Wan found himself staring at a nature scene diorama that had been set up inside the booth. Small cartoon rancors, hanadaks, and gundarks randomly popped out from behind trees and rocks and occasionally dropped out of the sky. It's a shooting gallery, he thought to himself.

"Here's your lightsaber." the man said and shoved something long and pointy into his hand. "May the Force be with you." Obi-Wan looked at the odd weapon suspiciously. It was the most ridiculous looking excuse for a lightsaber he'd ever seen. He pressed a large button on the hand grip and a blaster bolt ricocheted off the edge of the booth barely missing Yan.

"Watch it!" the man snapped angrily. "That thing is on low power but it still stings like hell."

"This isn't a lightsaber!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. The picture of Yoda had been bad enough, but this was downright insulting!

Yan rolled his eyes. "Sure it is, kid. I get them shipped in directly from Coruscant all the time. See?" he pointed to a sticker on the bottom of the blade with a crude, amateurish rendering of the Jedi seal. "Jedi Council approved and everything!"

Obi-Wan's eyebrows drew together. He scowled at the man behind the counter. "I seriously doubt that."

"Oh, yeah? How would you know?" he scoffed.

"Well, for one thing lightsabers don't blast." he said through gritted teeth.

The man crossed his arms on his chest and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He seemed unimpressed. "This one does."

This was simply too much. "Lightsabers are delicately constructed using the Force!" Obi-Wan exploded. "Each one is as unique as the Jedi who crafted it. This…this is just a glow rod with a blaster in the handle!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah kid. Tick tock." he pointed at his chrono. "Are you going to play or not?"

Obi-Wan gave Yan one last dirty look before turning his attention to the task at hand. He had noticed when the first blast went off that the blaster pulled heavily to the left. With that in mind, he made the necessary corrections and fired off three shots in quick succession. They all hit their mark perfectly and three metal gundarks collapsed.

Yan was looked surprised. "Wow! That's some fancy shooting kid. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant" he deadpanned. "Although I much prefer a lightsaber. Basters are just so uncivilized." Satine stifled a giggle beside him.

"Ha. Very funny, kid." Yan shook his head in obvious disbelief. "What a comedian." He handed Obi-Wan the small box with the heart pendant. "Here's your prize."

….

An hour later, Obi-Wan and Satine made their way back to the meeting point. They arrived first, and seeing that Qui-Gon was not back yet, flopped down in the grass next to the groceries to wait for him.

"Here." he fished the pendant out of his pocket and handed it to Satine. She smiled as she opened the box and removed the necklace. It really was beautiful.

"Oh, Obi…I love it!" she exclaimed happily. "Here", she handed it to him. "Could you help me put it on?"

"Of course."

Satine scooted closer and lifted her hair out of the way. Again, he was reminded of the jade roses from the temple. He fumbled with the clasp. It seemed tiny in his large hands. While he worked, he asked a question that had been on his mind all afternoon.

"So, how did you come up with the name Ben?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know. You just seem like a Ben to me." she said mysteriously.

"I do?"

"Yes. I like the name Ben."

"Why?"

She paused, then turned to look at him over her shoulder. "In my mind someone named Ben would be funny and kind, strong, brave, and handsome…"

He finally got the clasp hooked. "There."

She let go of her hair and its fragrant, silky waves gently fell over his hands. It felt just as soft as he had imagined it would. Then Satine turned to face him and he suddenly realized just how close she was. His hands were still resting on the back of her neck as she quietly finished her sentence.

"…just like you."

She thought he was all those things? His heart beat wildly. For the second time that day, time seemed to stand still. Their eyes locked. Force, she was so beautiful! Without thinking, he began to lean towards her. He could feel her excitement and longing for him through the Force. She wanted this as much as he did! Her lips parted in a gentle sigh and…

"Obi-Wan! Are you back yet?" Qui-Gon's voice shattered the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Most of the way back to the campsite Obi-Wan silently fumed at his Master's horrible timing. He had been seconds away from kissing Satine when Qui-Gon came barging up the hill ruining everything. After a few hours of walking however, he finally managed to release his frustrations into the Force. It simply hadn't been the right time he decided and when it was, he felt certain another opportunity would present itself.

In the meantime Obi-Wan tried to be content with the memory of their day together. It had been so enjoyable! Besides the "Jedi Jamboree" game, they had gone on a few rides and shared a bag of caramel bang-corn Eventually his thoughts turned to the almost-kiss. There was something about was the look in her eyes as he had leaned forward. He had seen excitement, anticipation, desire, and something warm and beautiful he couldn't quite define. Just remembering it made his heart somersault. He looked over at Satine who had been uncharacteristically quiet and wondered what she was thinking.

As they approached the campsite Qui-Gon stopped and held up his hand.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what?" Obi-Wan had been so preoccupied by his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed anything. Then he felt it too. A large ripple in the Force and the distinct presence of others. His danger sense prickled. They weren't alone. How had he missed something so obvious? Immediately he reached for his lightsaber.

"Satine, go back down the path and find a place to hide. We will take care of this and then come find you." Qui-Gon instructed. Satine nodded and immediately turned back the way they had come.

Once she was safely out of sight, the two Jedi silently crept through the trees until they were close enough to see the campsite. In the clearing near the cave stood two swoops. A large male Barabel and a female Chiss stood near the vehicles talking.

"This has to be it. That ship matches the description we were given and it's obvious they've been camped out here for some time." the Chiss said.

"Yesssss," her companion hissed. "but where are they? We've checked the whole area."

"Wherever they are they can't leave without the ship. We'll wait and surprise them when they get back."

The Barabel looked annoyed. "We've been after this girl for weeks, Jerra. I'm sick of waiting. They already got away from us on Mandalore once."

"That was your fault lizard breath! Don't blame me for your incompetence." the Chiss spat angrily. "If you hadn't…" the argument continued to intensify.

"Master, what are we going to do? We can't just sit here waiting for them to leave." Obi-Wan whispered.

Qui-Gon nodded, deep in thought. "What we need is a distraction," His eyes scanned the campsite and and came to rest on the two swoops. "and I've got an idea."

…

Obi-Wan carefully glanced down to check his position. He had circled around the campsite and climbed onto a jagged ledge of rock that protruded above the mouth of the cave. From where he crouched he could see the bounty hunters below him. Across the clearing he noted that Qui-Gon was hidden behind a tree near the ship. It was time. Without any hesitation he leapt off the ledge and landed hard on the two bounty hunters knocking them both to the ground. Then he immediately jumped onto one of the swoops and took off at top speed. Behind him he could hear shouting.

"It's one of the Jedi! Get him!" screamed Jerra. Her companion was on the other swoop in no time and began giving chase.

A blaster shot zinged past Obi-Wan's ear followed closely by several more. He dodged and weaved through the trees to avoid being hit but couldn't seem to shake the other swoop. A quick glance back told him that the Barabel was gaining fast. This would never do! Finally he decided to change tactics. Whipping around a large tree, he turned the swoop back and gunned the engine hard straight towards the other vehicle. At first the bounty hunter kept blasting. Then, when he realized Obi-Wan wasn't slowing down and they were about to crash, a look of panic filled his cold reptilian eyes. The bounty hunter waited a few seconds longer before jerking the controls to the side to avoid the collision.

The quick turn sent the swoop careening out of control. It started to spin, throwing the bounty hunter to the ground before smashing into a tree with a loud explosion. He twitched slightly and then was still. Obi-Wan sped over to check on him. There was a large gash on his forehead and his arm was bent at an odd angle, but he was still breathing and would be alright once he regained consciousness again.

As Obi-Wan rode back towards the cave the swoop's engine began sputtering. Apparently one of the blaster shots had hit something important for when he stopped a puddle of oil began to form on the ground. Qui-Gon was tying the other bounty hunter to a tree. He looked up and nodded.

"What happened? his Master asked.

"He crashed the swoop and will probably be unconscious for a long while."

"Good. That should give us time to collect our charge and get out of here." The female bounty hunter struggled against the ropes as Qui-Gon pulled them tighter. "If you remain still this won't hurt." he told her

"Jedi scum! You think you've won, don't you?" she growled.

"Well, you are tied up." Obi-Wan pointed out.

Jerra scowled at them darkly. "Go ahead. Make jokes. It'll just give my droids more time to find the Duchess."

The blood in Obi-Wan's veins froze. "Droids?"

Her mouth twisted into an evil grin. "Assassin droids. We deployed them when we found the cave. They search using thermal imaging and since the bounty is good either dead or alive, they're programed to kill her on sight."

Obi-Wan could hear her laughing as he frantically ran down the path to look for Satine. He reached the spot where they had told her to hide and began searching the surrounding forrest. She was nowhere to be seen. Forcing himself to calm down, he reached out to the Force. She was close, he could feel it. Suddenly the leaves of a bush a few yards away began to rustle. To his great relief, Satine began to crawl out from under the sheltering branches. Unfortunately his relief was short lived. Just as she emerged, a whirring sound filled the air. The droids!

"Get behind me, Satine." He commanded as the first droid floated into sight. It was immediately followed by two more. They all started firing at once. Obi-Wan's lightsaber flew with through the air with lightning speed deflecting shot after shot. One of the droids went down after being hit by some of the deflected fire. The other two seemed to compensate for their companion's loss by increasing the intensity of their attack. This had to stop! With a mighty Force enhanced leap, Obi-Wan flew into the air and slashed one of the droids in half, then turned as he fell and destroyed the other with a powerful downward blow. They fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

Satine was visibly shaking he noticed as he assessed her for injury. Thankfully she was unharmed.

"They would have killed me if you hadn't…" she struggled to finish her sentence. "You're always around when I need you most." She stepped closer and embraced him. "Thank you."

The way she melted against him was the most wonderful feeling in the galaxy. He awkwardly put his arms around her. "You're welcome. I…"

"Ouch!" Satine yelped.

Obi-Wan tensed. "What's wrong?" he asked. While he hadn't seen any injuries from the assassin droids, perhaps he had missed something. A fury at the bounty hunters unlike anything he'd ever felt before gripped him. If they had harmed even one hair on Satine's head….

"Something stung me." she stepped away from him and swatted at the back of her neck. His danger sense was prickling again. There was a low humming sound and suddenly the air around them was filled with flying insects. Obi-Wan looked at the ground and saw more of the creatures emerging from a small hole in the dirt. He had obviously disturbed a nest when he landed after jumping to get the droids.

"Venomites!" he yelled and grabbed Satine's hand. "Run!"

They raced away from the nest with the angry venomites in hot pursuit. He ducked through several areas of underbrush trying to confuse them but still they continued to give chase. Beside him, Satine kept pace and he admired her stamina. Unfortunately their luck was about to run out. As they ran over a rather uneven patch of ground, Satine twisted her ankle and fell with a cry. Obi-Wan's heart constricted at the sound. He stopped and looked back. The swarm was still after them and there was no way Satine could keep running on a sprained ankle.

He scooped her up in his arms and began running as fast as he could. Finally he saw the silver-gray outline of their ship through the trees. They were going to make it! With a burst of energy from the Force he began to sprint the last few hundred feet. He could see Qui-Gon standing on the boarding ramp looking anxiously into the woods.

They made it almost to the ship when his foot caught on the root of a tree and he went sprawling. Satine screamed as she flew out of his arms and landed in a heap a few feet away. The noise alerted Qui-Gon who came running back down the ramp just in time to see the two of them limping as fast as they could into the clearing. They were covered in mud, sticks, leaves, and ugly, swollen venomite stings.

"What happened to you two?" Qui-Gon's eyebrows drew together.

"Quickly! Master…close the ramp! Obi-Wan shouted as Qui-Gon ran forward to help them onboard. They made it inside and closed the ramp just as the hoard of venomites buzzed into view.

…

"I think that is the last of them." Qui-Gon said as he finished tending to the venomite stings on Obi-Wan's back. Several of the insects had gotten down the neck of his tunic and stung him repeatedly. The thick paste of baking soda and water felt wonderfully cool and soothing against the hot, painful welts. His Master wiped his hands on a towel and stood to leave the room. "I'll go check on Satine again and set the navicomputer to make the next jump. You should get some rest."

"How is she?" Obi-Wan asked. "I feel terrible about this. It's all my fault." he sighed. She had been stung a multitude of times also, as well as having a twisted ankle and a large, deep cut on her knee from being dropped.

"That's funny. To hear Satine tell it, you're quite the hero." Qui-Gon smiled at him kindly. "Don't worry Padawan. Some bacta and a few days rest for the ankle and she'll be fine. Just be thankful neither of you are allergic to venomite stings."

That thought hadn't even occurred to Obi-Wan and he shuddered as his Master headed for the door.

"Try and get some sleep."

"I will. Thank you Master." he replied.

"You're welcome. Oh, and Obi-Wan…"

"Yes?"

"Try not to scratch." Qui-Gon said with a grin as he shut the door behind him.

Obi-Wan used the Force to flick off the overhead light and tried to relax but sleep eluded him. A million worries crowded his thoughts. Being around Satine made him happier and more content than he ever remembered feeling in his life. He craved being near her. Even now, when he remembered how she had embraced him before the venomites attacked, his stomach felt as if it were full of butterflies and a pleasant shiver washed over him. She was intoxicating.

On the other hand, the amount of anger and hatred he had felt when he thought the droids had hurt Satine scared him. He had been angry before, of course, but never like that. It also bothered him that he hadn't noticed the presence of the bounty hunters in the Force. He had been so caught up in his thoughts of Satine that he would have walked right into camp totally unprepared to defend her. This was precisely the reason why attachments were forbidden.

The thought gave him pause. Was this actually an attachment? Of course he was attracted to her, but they were merely friends weren't they? Surely Satine knew that as a member of the Jedi order he couldn't get involved romantically. She did like him though, he was sure of that. What was it Qui-Gon had said…she thought he was heroic? A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Would she be content having a noncommittal physical relationship? Would he? The answers to these questions eluded him.

At last, exhaustion overcame him and he drifted off to sleep. The answers would come, he was sure. He just needed to make sure he didn't do anything he might regret later in the meantime.

…

A few days later, they landed on the planet Onderon because they needed to refuel. Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief as the space port came into view. They had been coasting on fumes for much longer than he was comfortable with. As soon as they docked, a worker from the space port ran up to meet them.

"We need fuel." Qui-Gon told him. "How long will it take to fill it up?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait. We're all sold out and won't get another shipment until morning." the dock worker replied. "The next closest fuel stop is a few planets over if you want to keep going. Otherwise," he gestured to the mostly open hanger around them, "We've got plenty of space to leave it here for the night and we'll fill it up as soon as we can tomorrow."

This was not what they wanted to hear, but there was no way they could make it to another station. "Then I suppose we shall have to wait." Qui-Gon told the worker. He paid the fee to park for the night. Then the three of them collected a few belongings, put on hooded cloaks to help conceal their identities, and began to walk into the surrounding city of Iziz.

"I don't like this." Obi-Wan commented to his Master. "We're far too exposed here. We should find somewhere to stay and get off the streets. The faster we get out of sight the better."

Qui-Gon nodded as he looked around. "I agree." They were just passing a small diner. It didn't appear to be very crowded. "Take Satine in there. Get a seat in the back and order something while I find us a place to stay."

"Alright." Obi-Wan answered. "We'll be here." He watched as Qui-Gon walked purposefully down the sidewalk and then turned to Satine. He smiled brightly and gestured towards the door of the restaurant. "Shall we?"

Once inside, Obi-Wan looked around. He noticed a door in the back that he assumed led to the kitchen as well as a sign pointing towards the refreshers. There was a holovision playing a smash ball game on the wall. A few tired looking men sat at the counter with their backs towards the door while an older looking waitress refilled their cups with caff. She squinted at them through thick spectacles

.

"Pick a booth sweetie." she smiled at Obi-Wan. "I'll be with you in a minute."

They made their way to the back of the dining room and slid into the last booth. Obi-Wan made sure to take the seat facing the door so he could see anyone who entered. When waitress bustled over and offered them menus his stomach audibly growled.

"My goodness, your poor boyfriend is starving!" she said to Satine who blushed a deep red before turning her attention to Obi-Wan. "What'll ya have?"

"I'd like a bantha burger, some protato fries, and a chocolate shake." he said without even looking at the menu.

She marked his choices down on a data pad and then looked at Satine expectantly. "And what about you, darlin'?"

"I'll have the same, except I'd like a starblossom milkshake if you have any."

The waitress nodded. "We make shakes are the best on Onderon. It'll be out in a few minutes." she said and headed off to put in their orders. She soon came back with a try piled high with food. It smelled delicious and they both began eating.

"Mmm.." Satine moaned as she sipped her milkshake. "This is wonderful. It reminds me of a little place on Mandalore." She plucked the large piece of Starblossom fruit that garnished the edge of the glass free and bit into it thoughtfully. A look of sadness clouded her beautiful features. "Oh, Obi. Do you suppose I'll ever be able to go home again?"

He tried to imagine what it must be like for her. Would he be able to survive knowing he'd never see the Temple again? It was an awful thought. Times were changing though. Perhaps someday she could make her fellow Mandalorians see the light and embrace peace. He certainly hoped so. "I'm sure of it." he smiled. "Things may look daunting now, but if anyone can convince people to try a new way of life, you can."

She blushed and looked down at the table. "I never properly thanked you for saving my life the other day."

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to blush. "There's no need for thanks. I…" The bell on the door rang as another customer entered. He glanced up to see who it was and promptly pulled up his hood while motioning for Satine to do the same. A large Barabel with a bandage around his head made his way to the counter and hissed something to the waitress. He took out a holopic and showed it to her. She readjusted her spectacles and looked at it closely. They needed to get out of here fast. He threw some credits on the table and silently rose from the booth. Taking Satine's hand they quietly headed for the door that led to the kitchen.

He could hear the waitress talking as they ran for the back door.

"Duchess? Jedi? No, I haven't seen anyone like that in here…We've only had our regulars and a sweet young couple I've never seen before. They're sitting right over…hey, where did they go?"

Once outside they found themselves in a narrow alley. Before they had time to run, the door of the cafe burst open and the bounty hunter stomped out.

He rubbed his scaly hands together and cracked his knuckles with a wide grin. "Well, look what we have here."

Obi-Wan pushed Satine behind him. Suddenly he remembered something. The other bounty hunter had obviously been the brains of their operation. Perhaps if he tried…

"We're not the people you are looking for." He waved his hand in the bounty hunter's face and a glazed look filled his eyes.

"You're not the people I was looking for." he said.

"You should go back to your ship. There's no need to mention what happened here."

"I think I'll go back to the ship."

With that, the Barabel turned and walked away. Obi-Wan looked at Satine and grinned. "Well, I don't think we'll be seeing him again for a while. Shall we go back inside and finish our…" Satine gazed up at him with a strange light blazing in her eyes. He wondered what it meant.

In a flash she launched herself across the alley, grabbed the lapels of his tabard and began kissing him. Her lips were warm and sweet from the starblossom fruit. Silky waves of fair hair caressed his cheek and he caught the scent of jade roses that was uniquely Satine. The soft curve of her breasts pressed against his chest as her arms slipped around his neck. When her tongue gently sought his own hot sparks of electricity jolted through his body. He could resist no longer and with an audible groan, pulled her closer and began hungrily kissing her back. 

All the pent up attraction that had been building for months found release as they devoured each other. Finally, they broke apart gasping for air. Somehow, he had managed to pin Satine against the wall of the diner with his body, certain parts of which were becoming embarrassingly hard. He stepped back immediately and turned away to try and compose himself. That was how Qui-Gon found them a few moments later.

"Alright, I managed to find us a place to stay for the night. It's…" Lust saturated the Force so completely it was almost palpable. Qui-Gon stopped and took in the sight before him. Satine was leaning back against the wall, her usually neat hairstyle ruffled and out of place. She gazed at Obi-Wan with slightly unfocused eyes, her lips swollen and red. His padawan was standing a few feet away with his back to the Duchess. He had a stunned expression on his face which, Qui-Gon noted, was slightly smeared with lipstick. Both were breathing hard. Oh, dear.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked quietly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The hotel they were staying in had definitely seen better days. Thread bare carpets covered the floor and the paint was peeling in places, but at least it seemed clean. After checking to make sure that Satine's room was secure, Qui-Gon motioned for Obi-Wan to follow him into the adjoining room.

During the short trip to their hotel Obi-Wan had struggled with some of the most confusing feeling he had ever experienced. He was mortified that Qui-Gon knew what they had done. Surely his Master must be extremely disappointed in him which would normally have been very upsetting. But every time he remembered how soft Satine's body had felt in his arms and how sweet her lips had tasted everything else faded into the background and a raging desire to do it again overwhelmed him.

Obi-Wan walked anxiously back and forth across the room. His Master shut the door behind him with a soft click, then sat down on the foot of the nearest sleep couch without a word. He crossed his arms and stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched Obi-Wan restlessly pacing. Why doesn't he say something, Obi-Wan wondered pensively. Perhaps Qui-Gon was more upset that he thought. Finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, he began babbling in a very undignified way.

"I'm sorry Master. I know it's wrong to get involved with someone especially on a mission, but one of the bounty hunters from Draboon came into the cafe. I didn't want to call attention to us by fighting so I gave him a Force suggestion to go back to his ship. Sometimes those don't work the way I want them to, but this time it did and then he left and then…" he stopped mid sentence as he remembered the look in Satine's eyes just before she had kissed him. A dreamy expression came over his face as he relived the moment in memory. He would remember that kiss until the day he died.

"Ahem." Qui-Gon cleared his throat after a long moment of silence. "And then?" he prompted.

"Erm…. Then? Well…." Obi-Wan stammered, his eyes focussed on a snag in the carpet. He could feel himself turning red.

"You were both so overcome with relief that you, uh, decided to celebrate?" Qui-Gon offered. There was something in the tone of his voice that made Obi-Wan look up. His Master was trying very hard to cover a smile and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"I don't know exactly." he answered truthfully. "One minute I was asking her if she wanted to go back inside and the next…." he gestured helplessly. "I…she…." How could he explain this? "I know I shouldn't have, but I just couldn't help it."

"It's alright, Obi-Wan. There's no need to explain."

"There isn't?" This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting at all. "You're not upset?"

"Of course not. I had a feeling something like this might happen."

"But what about the Code? I'm supposed to be protecting her not taking advantage of the situation."

"The Code forbids attachments Obi-Wan, not physical interactions. From what I could see she didn't seem as if she was doing anything she didn't want to do. Am I wrong in my assessment?" A slight frown creased Qui-Gon's brow.

"No. At least, I don't think so." Obi-Wan answered. He stopped pacing and sank down on the other sleep couch and sighed. "She's just so beautiful and," he added incredulously, "I think she likes me."

Qui-Gon smiled at him kindly. "Is that so difficult to believe?" His eyes took on a far away look. "Whether you realize it or not Padawan, I do understand how you feel. She's a very beautiful girl both inside and out and I can see why you're attracted to her."

"So…you approve?" Obi-Wan looked at his Master with surprise.

Qui-Gon paused a moment, leaned forward, and looked at his hands which were clasped in front of him. "Not exactly. I said I understood. There's a difference."

"But I thought…" Obi-Wan shook his head, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Obi-Wan, because of the training bond we share, I know you better than almost anyone. If this were merely a sexual attraction I would say nothing more about it, but it's not that simple. A strong friendship has developed between you and Satine. You both care for each other, there's a mutual attraction and now it's turning physical. This is how romantic attachments are formed and, if you're not careful, how hearts are broken."

Obi-Wan stared at the floor. Here it comes, he thought to himself. The standard Jedi lecture about attachments and the Code. But, instead of telling him the numerous reasons that attachments were forbidden, Qui-Gon surprised him yet again. He stood from the sleep couch and made his way to the dresser where he picked up his com link.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do Obi-Wan. You know as well as I do the reasons why attachments are forbidden and you must make up your own mind about how to proceed. However I will offer you this advice. At the end of this mission you will be forced to make a choice between Satine and the Jedi. Unfortunately you can't have both. Think long and hard before you do something you can't take back. You are both still very young and the decisions you make right now will impact the rest of your lives. Keep that in mind as you move forward."

"I certainly will."

"I know you will. If you ever need to talk about anything, I am more than happy to listen." Qui-Gon turned and headed for the door. Then he stopped, his hand hovering over the control panel and turned back. He hesitated, uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck, his eyebrows bunched together in a worried expression.

Qui-Gon was almost never at a loss for words. Whatever was bothering him must be serious if he were this visibly flustered. "Is there something else you wanted say Master?"

"I know they cover this at the Temple Obi-Wan, and I probably don't need to remind you, but just in case…if you and Satine ever find yourselves doing more than just kissing then for Force sake take precautions. The last thing either of you needs right now is a child."

Obi-Wan cringed with embarrassment and mutely nodded.

"Good. Alright then. I'm going to try contacting the Temple and let them know where we are. They need an update and the com signal isn't very strong in here. Try and get some rest. We'll have our work cut out for us tomorrow if those bounty hunters are on planet."

As soon as the door shut behind Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan flopped back onto the sleep couch and ran a hand through his hair. He let out a deep breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. In a way he felt better. At least things were out in the open now. All in all it could have been worse. At least he had some time to work things out in his mind. His Master hadn't really said anything he didn't already know, but it did put things in a stark new light.

A soft knock sounded on the door separating his room from Satine's. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door and peeked into the room.

"I saw Qui-Gon walking down to the lobby. Is everything ok?" She asked anxiously. "I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

He stood and walked over to where she stood. "It's alright. I'm not in trouble. At least, not yet anyway."

She looked troubled. "You're not sorry that we…are you?"

"No!" He exclaimed. "Not at all. I've wanted to do that for weeks. You just were brave enough to take the initiative." He smiled reassuringly, slid his arms around her waist, and pulled her against him. Force, it felt so right the way she melted against his chest. There it was again. The fragrance of Jade roses. He buried his nose in her silvery blond hair and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head as he reveled in the scent. "Oh, Satine." He sighed as he silently wondered, what am I going to do?

…

They made their way back to the fueling station early the next morning. No one else seemed to be around as they boarded so Qui-Gon quickly paid for the fuel and they were on their way. Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief as they left the planet's atmosphere and began punching in the coordinates for their next destination. With a smug sense of satisfaction he thought of the bounty hunter he had outsmarted the day before. The feeling didn't last long. He had only entered half of the number sequence into the computer when a loud explosion shook the ship. Alarms blared and warning lights began pulsing on the controls.

"What happened?" He yelled at Qui-Gon. "We've lost our laser cannons and one of the defense shields is down!"

Qui-Gon nodded curtly as he pointed out the viewport. "We have company."

A small armored freighter was just exiting Onderon's atmosphere. It turned sharply towards them and sped up, quickly closing the distance between them. They barely had time to activate the remaining defense shield before the other ship began firing on them. Blast after blast of cannon fire rocked their ship as the two Jedi struggled stabilize the vessel.

The oncoming ship made a close pass and Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of the blue skinned pilot. Excitement gleamed in her red eyes. "It's the bounty hunters!" he exclaimed. "How did they find us?"

"Apparently your Force suggestion wasn't as successful as you thought. As soon as we get a free minute we need to work on that!" Qui-Gin declared as he wrestled with the controls.

Behind them in the small common area Satine sat gripping the arms of her seat. Her eyes were closed and her knuckles were white. Obi-Wan could feel terror rolling off her in waves and his heart clenched.

"Strap yourself in!" Qui-Gon shouted to her over the shrill screeching of the alarms as a particularly violent blast caused the lights to flicker. In spite of her panic, she quickly scrambled to obey. "We've got to get out of here." He said more quietly to Obi-Wan. "We're sitting ducks with no defenses. Are we ready to make the jump to light speed?"

Obi-Wan had forgotten all about the coordinates he had been inputting before he had been interrupted. Thankfully, the computer had automatically taken over after a few minutes of inactivity and finished its calculations while they were preoccupied with the attack. The green light above the hyperdrive was glowing in readiness.

It briefly crossed his mind that he hadn't finished inputting the right coordinates. Although the route the computer had plotted was safe to travel, he had no way to know where they might end up. There wasn't time to worry about it now however. The bounty hunters had taken up a position directly behind them and were preparing to fire again.

"Jumping to light speed." he called. With a small prayer that the Force would guide them, Obi-Wan reached forward and pulled the handle to engage the hyperdrive. Outside the stars turned to glittering streaks of light as they sped forward into the unknown.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Alderaan?!" Satine exclaimed as she looked at the blinking readout on the screen. "I thought we were going further into the Outer Rim! What happened?"

"I didn't have time to input the full set of coordinates for our jump." Obi-Wan answered. He had been extremely relieved to see the civilized planet when they came out of hyperspace. "At least we didn't end up someplace like Dathomir or Korriban." he said quietly to Qui-Gon. "We should be able to get the defense systems fixed here without too much trouble."

His Master nodded. "Let's land and see what it will take to get things working again."

After landing and finding a mechanic willing to help them, they made their way into the city of Aldera. It was going to take several days to fix the deflector shields and the laser cannons. The initial damage had been caused by a small explosive device that had been attached to the hull before they left Onderon. It had been set to explode once they had cleared the planet's atmosphere leaving the ship vulnerable to attack.

A nagging fear plagued Obi-Wan. If the bounty hunters had planted the bomb, they could just as easily have planted a tracking device. He mentioned his thoughts to Qui-Gon who had already thought of the same thing.

"We shall have to be extra vigilant. For now let's find somewhere to stay."

….

It was starting to rain as they entered a small inn near the edge of the city. After settling in, the two Jedi checked in with the temple, procured something for their evening meal, and meditated.

Obi-Wan came out of his meditation with no more answers than he had before. The problem of what to do about the situation with Satine still plagued him. He restlessly walked over to the window and gazed out at the rivets of water that slid down the pane.

Why did everything have to be so complicated? All over the galaxy other beings his age became involved in relationships with no ill effects. Most of them weren't able to access the Force, but what difference did that make? True, he had felt an unreasonable amount of anger when Satine's safety was threatened and he had almost walked into an ambush due to his lack of concentration…but so what? Surely he could find balance if he worked at it, couldn't he? He shook his head in dismay. Why did the Jedi have to be so set in their ways?

There was a soft knock at the door that joined the two rooms. Not wanting to disturb Qui-Gon who was still deep in a meditative state, Obi-Wan quickly opened the door and motioned for Satine to be quiet with a finger to his lips.

"Are you busy?" she whispered, eyeing Qui-Gon's silent, still crosslegged form. "If you have time I thought you might like to see a holomovie. There's a good one coming on in a few minutes. We could watch it in my room."

Any further thoughts on his thorny predicament went out the window. "That sounds like fun!" he exclaimed. He had only seen a handful of holomovies in his life and most of them were training videos. The work it took to be a Jedi left little time for such things. "What is it called?"

"Mandibles."

"Mandibles?" he repeated with surprise. "That's odd. Is it a documentary?"

"No!" She giggled. "It's about a beach town on Naboo. Somehow a giant firaxan shark escapes from the aquarium and starts terrorizing the tourists who are there on vacation during the Festival of Light."

Obi-Wan's mouth hung open. "That sounds awful!"

"No, no! It's supposed to be great! It was a big hit last summer but I never got to see it because I was too busy with my diplomatic training. All my friends went and they said it was terrific."

"Well, alright then. I'll be over in a few minutes." he smiled and shut the door.

…

"You're going to need a bigger hydrocraft!" the wide-eyed chief of police said to the crusty old sailor who was leading the hunt for the shark. Both Obi-Wan and Satine burst out laughing.

They were propped up on the headboard of the sleep couch in Satine's room with a half-eaten bag of protato crisps between them. The movie was definitely living up to Satine's expectations. Each time the ominous music indicating the shark was close by sounded, Satine snugged a little closer to him and whenever the terrible creature ate another being, she hid her face against his shoulder. The last time it happened, he slipped his arm around her and pulled her closer. Now her head was resting on his chest. He was having a marvelous time!

All too soon, the movie ended. Satine turned off the sound, but made no move to get up. Obi-Wan was glad. Night had fallen while they were watching and the room had grown dark. The only light came from the flickering holographic picture projected against the wall. It had an almost hypnotic effect.

"You know," Obi-Wan whispered close to Satine's ear, "Alderaan has some of the galaxy's most beautiful beaches. The ship won't be ready for days. Fancy a trip to one of them?"

"Ugh! No thank you!" Satine giggled. The sound of her laughter was like bells ringing. It was enchanting. "After watching that I don't even want to get in the bathtub let alone go to the beach!"

An image of Satine in the bath came easily to mind and he shifted as his trousers became uncomfortably tight. Hopefully she hadn't noticed. "Come come now. One of my strongest Force powers is the ability to commune with non sentient beasts. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." he teased, hoping to make her laugh again.

She turned slightly so she could look up at him, but when he met her sparkling eyes her face was serious. "I know you wouldn't. You truly are my champion Obi-Wan."

Suddenly the air between them was thick with an emotion he had no name for. There was no way he could fight this and he didn't want to even if he could. As if drawn by a magnet he slowly lowered his head until his lips met hers. They were soft, sweet, and intoxicating. She responded to his ardent kisses and soon they were lost in a world of sensation.

Before long he became delightfully light headed and broke free for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. Both of them panted for breath before their eyes locked again. Something powerful passed between them. A questioning look followed by an unspoken answer and they fell together again.

Obi-Wan reveled in the soft, breathy sounds Satine made as he gently explored the silky expanse of her neck with his lips. He nipped his way up her throat and peppered the sensitive area under her ear with kisses. She ran her fingers through his hair and shivered against him.

"Mmmmm, Obi…" she moaned. He stopped for a moment and took in the sight before him. Satine was breathtakingly beautiful. She was lying on the bed next to him, her crystal blue eyes half closed, her lips invitingly swollen, and her shimmering blond hair loose around her shoulders. He gazed longingly at the enticing swell of her cleavage but hesitated. He wanted to touch her so badly, but wondered if he should. Did he dare? Was that going too far? Thankfully she seemed to sense his inner struggle and without a word took his hand and gently placed it on her breast.

Even through her tunic she felt amazing and fit perfectly into to palm of his hand. As he carefully explored with his fingers, he could feel her nipples rising to tight, hard peaks. Curiously, he took one between his fingers and lightly squeezed. Satine gasped and arched against him groaning so loudly that he was afraid someone might hear.

"Force! Obi-Wan!"

His arousal, which he had been careful to hide, was now bordering on painful. It was becoming almost too much to bear. In an instant, instinct took over and, with a move so shockingly bold he later could scarcely believe he'd done it, he rolled on top of her and pressed his body against hers.

"Oh, Satine!" he breathed into her ear as his hand sought the bottom of her tunic. He found the edge and slowly pushed it up exposing her taunt abdomen. Soon the lacy fabric of her bra came into view. "I want you so much!" he growled. She shuddered at his words, and then froze.

"Obi-Wan…stop." she whispered. She gripped his hand tightly. "Please."

Even though every fiber of his being told him not to listen, he forced himself to stop and pulled back slightly. "What is it Satine? What's wrong?" he asked as he sat up.

"I don't know. I've wanted this so badly it's all I've thought about for days. But now that we're here, it's so intense…" She hung her head and refused to meet his eye. "It's just that I've never…I've never done anything like this before. I don't want to disappoint you, but it feels like we're moving too fast." She finally looked up an her eyes glittered with unshed tears. "Please don't be angry!"

All the frustration Obi-Wan had felt evaporated in a moment. "I could never be angry with you." he murmured as he gathered Satine into his arms. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. "We can take things as slow as you'd like."

A little while later, they parted for the night with a gentle kiss. Obi-Wan entered the other room. He closed the door, then leaned back against it and heaved a heavy sigh. It was going to be a very long night. To his surprise, Qui-Gon was still awake. He sat propped against the head of his bed reading something on a data pad.

"How was the movie?" his Master asked curiously.

"Movie?" Oh, yes. There had been a movie. He'd forgotten. "It was great." he answered quickly. He made his way to the dresser and grabbed a few items from his bag before heading towards the refresher. "I think I'll take a shower before I turn in."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Good idea." A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "There should be plenty of cold water."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 ** _NOTE: I would like to extend special thanks to SerendipityAEY, CheshireCat333, and Reality Rejection Service for your continued support. I don't get to post as often as I'd like due to real life getting in the way, but your reviews make me want to keep going. Anonymous Guest thank you so much for your kind review! It came at a great time and helped keep me motivated when I desperately needed it. I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. I'd like to wrap this story up in 3-4 more chapters but we shall see._**

"What do you think?" Satine asked anxiously and held her head to one side in an endearing way that caused her earrings to sparkle as they swayed back and forth. For months she had been working on something on her data pad but refused to say what. Finally she confided in Obi-Wan that it was a speech and allowed him to read it as they sat propped against the headboard of her sleep couch. She planned to deliver it to the members of her clan as soon as she had the chance.

"I think it's powerful." he answered truthfully. "It's extremely persuasive and very well written."

"You really think so?" she frowned as she scrolled through the text again.

"Absolutely. This is the sort of speech that changes things. When you give this, I believe people will listen."

Satine put the data pad on the nightstand and leaned against Obi-Wan. He placed his arm around her and ran his fingers through her silky hair. "You know, I don't think I've ever told you how brave I think you are. You stand up for your ideals no matter what it costs you. I admire that."

She smiled skeptically and raised an eyebrow. "Let's just hope a few of my fellow Mandalorians feel the same way you do."

"How could they not?"

She smiled radiantly at his response and snuggled closer into his arms. Her fingers, which had been resting on his chest, began to lightly trace the V-neck of his tunic raising a delicious wave of goose pimples in their wake. He shivered in response.

"Obi-Wan?" she whispered softly.

"Yes?"

"Remember when I said I wanted us to slow down?"

He nodded and pretended to think very hard. "Yes, I do seem to remember something about that now that you mention it." Of course he remembered! He had thought of little else ever since.

"Do you think we could possibly speed things up again?"

They fell together hungrily. One kiss led to another and another. Hands wandered everywhere and soon clothes began to come off. Satine was stunning. Her flawless alabaster skin glowed in the soft light as he unbuttoned her tunic and slid it off her shoulders leaving her in a pale pink shimmersilk bra. Her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric and without thinking he lowered his head and took one in his mouth.

It was as if a bolt of electricity shot through Satine's body. She writhed against him making desperate needy sounds. Every motion created friction against his straining erection and he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"Oh, Obi-Wan", she gasped against his ear, "I love you!" Then her hand slipped under the waistband of his trousers. She grasped him tightly and suddenly…

Obi-Wan woke up with a start. It was still dark outside and mercifully Qui-Gon was quietly snoring on the other side of the room. He quietly got out of bed and headed to the refresher to clean himself up. "I love you?" he wondered. Where had that come from?

For a week things between Obi-Wan and Satine moved forward in a predictable way. They slowed down the physical progression of their relationship but continued to spend as much time together as possible. There were more late night conversations, more heated looks, more casual touches, more movies, more gentle kisses that quickly turned heated, and many, many more cold showers. It became harder and harder to tear themselves apart at the end of day.

During that time there had been no signs of bounty hunters, no disturbances in the Force, and no word from either Mandalore or Coruscant. Progress on the ship had stalled due to a part that had to be ordered. Finally Qui-Gon decided they had spent enough time indoors and sent Obi-Wan and Satine to the store to pick up a few personal items and get some fresh air.

On the way back to the hotel, they found a park and decided to explore. As with most things on Alderaan, it was beautiful. A foot path meandered through a garden, under a shady grove of trees and around a small lake where an abundance of water lilies bloomed. Beside the water there were a few benches and a small playground. Satine and Obi-Wan walked around the lake hand in hand and then sat on one of the benches to enjoy the warm spring sunshine.

"It's so nice to get out!" Satine sighed. "We've been stuck in that hotel for ages!"

"I know what you mean." Obi-Wan agreed as he squinted up at the clouds. "The walls were starting to close in."

As they sat talking, two women with several small children arrived at the playground. The two oldest girls ran for the swing set while the rest of them began climbing on the slide and the monkey bars. The smallest, a tiny boy who looked about 2 years old, ran along behind the others shrieking for them all to wait up. After checking to make sure everyone was accounted for, the mothers sat down on a nearby bench and watched as they played.

Satine smiled as she looked the girls on the swings. "Bo and I had a swing set when we were little and would try to swing high enough to flip over the pole on top. I never managed to do it, but she did." She looked sadly down at her hands.

Obi-Wan recalled the ugly fight that had started at their father's funeral. He had taken little notice of Bo-Katan before that and wondered what had become of her since Satine had been forced into exile.

"Do you think she'll really stay angry with you?"

"My sister is nothing if not sincere. I have no doubt that she meant exactly what she said. If I align our clan with the New Madalorians then I don't expect we'll ever see each other again."

"But she's your sister!" It was hard for him to believe a sibling could be so hostile.

Satine raised her eyebrows and turned to Obi-Wan. "Yes, I know. But as we've grown older our beliefs about certain things have drastically changed. There are times I can scarcely believe we are from the same planet let alone the same family. I love her, but often I find it difficult to like her very much. We have so little in common."

"That's sad."

"Yes, but not at all unusual I'm afraid. You don't have any brothers or sisters do you?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. They brought me to the Temple when I was only 6 months old so I'm not really sure."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry." Satine apologized. "I'd forgotten that the Jedi take initiates when they are so young." She pondered his answer for a while. "Is it sad not knowing who your family is? Do you remember anything about them?"

He thought for a moment. "It's not sad, exactly. At least not from a certain point of view. The Temple is my home and I've always felt that I belong with the Jedi. They are my family. I don't regret my parents choice to send me." He paused before continuing, "But I do think about them sometimes and wonder what they were like. Even though I don't have any real memories there are a few…impressions. Warmth...laughter...and music. I remember a beautiful voice singing, but the memory is so vague I can't be sure it's real. I might have just imagined it."

They were silent for a time, both lost in thought until Satine asked in a small voice, "Do you ever wish that things were…different?"

"Different? How do you mean?"

"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I hadn't inherited my title." she said quietly. "Please don't misunderstand. I love my people and it will be an honor to serve as their leader, but a part of me wonders what life might have been like if I could have chosen my own path." She looked up at him with clear blue eyes. "Do you ever feel that way?"

"I…" He hesitated. Had he been asked the same question before this mission his answer would have been simple. No. He had never wished to take another path. His only desire was to be a Jedi. Now, however, he was questioning everything. He still desperately wanted to be a Jedi, but he also wanted a future with Satine. Just the thought of leaving her at the end of this mission filled his heart with as much anguish as the thought of abandoning the Jedi Order. Either way he would be sacrificing an important part of himself. It was becoming increasingly clear that no matter what choice he made his heart would be broken. If only…

"Yes." he murmured. "I think about it sometimes. Being a Jedi knight has always been my greatest desire, but recently I've found myself wanting other things too." Their eyes met and he knew she understood exactly what he was talking about. "Unfortunately I can't have both and I don't know what to do."

Satine's eyes filled with tears as she searched his face. "Must it be a choice? Can't they make an exception?" she whispered.

He swallowed thickly. "I'm afraid not." he answered.

"Oh, Obi-Wan." her voice cracked as she threw her arms around him and they held each other tightly. He was glad her face was hidden on his shoulder so she wouldn't see the tears that had begun to gather in the corners of his eyes. He quickly dashed them away with the back of his hand and hoped she hadn't noticed.

A cold ripple in the Force alerted his senses a few moments later. Something was wrong. He froze and looked around for the source of the disturbance. His first thought was that they had been discovered, but though Obi-Wan anxiously searched for the bounty hunters or anything else that seemed out of the ordinary he could find nothing.

He felt Satine's body grow tense in his arms. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not sure." he answered as he let her go and focused his attention on their surroundings. "Something isn't right."

All of a sudden there was a cry from one of the women near the playground. "Where's Sam? He was right here a minute ago." She leapt to her feet and dashed around the play area calling out, "Sammy!"

At almost the same moment, Satine gasped and pointed towards the lake. "Obi-Wan, look!"

The small boy who had been chasing the other children earlier had apparently grown weary of that and instead taken an interest in the ducks that were swimming in the water. No one had noticed him wander off, and now he was toddling dangerously close to the edge on the opposite side of the lake. The ducks swam over to investigate and Sammy grinned with delight.

"He's going to fall!" She exclaimed. "We've got to do something!"

"Sammy!" His mother screamed just as the boy leaned over to try and touch one the birds. It was too far away and he lost his balance and fell into the deep water with a loud splash. In a flash Obi-Wan leaped to his feet and sprinted around the lake using the Force to increase his speed. Reaching out with his senses, he quickly found the boy at the bottom and levitated him out of the water and onto the grass. His small body was limp. He wasn't breathing.

Obi-Wan immediately picked up the child and cradled him in his arms. He turned the boy's head to the side allowing water to pour out of his mouth. Then he placed one hand on the boys chest. Yes, there was water in his lungs, he could feel it. Closing his eyes Obi-Wan wrapped the child in the healing power of the Force. It swirled around them, entering the boys lungs and instantly expelling the water. Sammy opened his eyes and began violently choking and spiting up water. Suddenly he was taking in large gulps of air. He looked up at Obi-Wan and his tiny chin began to wobble.

"Mama!" he cried.

By now his terrified mother had arrived on the scene. "I'm here Sammy! I'm right here!" Obi-Wan gently handed her the child and she clutched him tightly to her chest. "Oh sweetheart!" she crooned as she patted his back and kissed his wet hair. "You're alright. Thank the Force you're alright. You scared me to death!" The boy slowly calmed down and soon began quietly hiccuping against his mother's shoulder.

Obi-Wan smiled and turned to walk away. This warm feeling of contentment and the satisfaction he got from helping someone who really needed it was what he liked most about being a Jedi. As always when this sort of thing happened he felt the Force around him vibrating in harmony.

"Wait!" The woman grabbed his arm. "Don't leave. You saved my baby! How can I ever repay you?"

Obi-Wan blushed slightly. "There's no need. I'm just glad I was able to help." he replied.

She looked at him closely and eyed his lightsaber which hung at his side. "You're a Jedi aren't you?

He nodded. "I'm in training to be a Jedi, yes."

"I knew you must be. I've never seen anyone move as fast as you did just now and then you pulled him out of the water using the Force." She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him seriously. "I can't swim. If you hadn't been here and used your special abilities Sammy would have drown. You saved his life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

Satine, who was standing close by, watched the exchange intently. She was so quiet on their way back to the hotel that Obi-Wan wondered what she was thinking. When they got back to their rooms, she stood on the threshold nervously twisting her hands.

"Is anything wrong, Satine?" he asked.

"No." she shook her head a little too quickly. "I was just thinking about today. The way you saved that boy was amazing." She looked up at him with sincerity shining in her eyes.

"Anyone would have done the same." he tried to shrug it off.

"No, nobody else could have done the same. They might have wanted to, but you can access the Force. If you hadn't been there I would have tried to help, but I wouldn't have been able to get to him in time. I couldn't have pulled him out of the lake the way you did and I certainly couldn't have cleared the water from his lungs. Without you he probably would have died."

"I…" he didn't know what to say and blushed self consciously. In his opinion he hadn't done anything remarkable. His training had simply taken over and he had instinctively done what needed to be done. What she was getting at?

She reached up and gently took his face in her hands. "You're everything a Jedi is supposed to be Obi-Wan. That's one reason I like you so much. I just…", she hesitated, "I just would never want you to give that up because of me."

"No, wait…Satine. I…" he began.

"Shhh." she stopped him before he could say more by sweetly kissing him. Then she bid him good night and retreated into her room leaving him on the doorstep to ponder her words.

Slowly he walked into his own room and shut the door. Today had given him a lot to think about and he made his way to the sleep couch and flopped down with a sigh. He had started the day in a good mood, but the more he thought about what Satine had said the gloomier he felt. As he stared at the ceiling lost in reflection, Qui-Gon palmed open the door and stepped inside.

"Ahh, Obi-Wan. I see you're back." he opened the closet and hung his cloak on a hook. "Were you able to get the items you needed?"

"Yes Master."

"You didn't run into any trouble did you?"

"No Master." he sat up and stared Qui-Gon thoughtfully. "Master?"

"Mmmm?"

"Do you ever wonder what life might have been like if you hadn't been a Jedi?"

Qui-Gon paused for a moment before answering. "The thought has crossed my mind from time to time." He sat down on the edge of his sleep couch and looked at Obi-Wan seriously. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I've just been thinking about about it a lot lately." he answered.

"I see." he nodded. "Well, I suppose you'd still be on Stewjon to start with. Perhaps you would have gone to University. You might have become a lawyer or maybe a professor someday." Obi-Wan gaped in disbelief at the thought and he chuckled softly. "I'm sure you would have made fine contributions to the society on your home planet, but I'm very glad that the will of the Force guided you into the Order. You have a tremendous gift Padawan. It would have been a tragedy if your potential to had been overlooked."

Obi-Wan nodded and looked at the floor. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful Master. I know being Force sensitive is a privilege. I shouldn't even be thinking these things."

"It's perfectly normal to question your life choices Obi-Wan. Everyone does so now and then and I believe it's healthy. You should assess the direction your life is taking. Yes, having the gift of the Force is a privilege, but as you know it can also feel like a burden at times. The Jedi live lives of service that require great personal sacrifice. It's not a path everyone can travel."

"I know! But I've always thought it was the path I should take because it has always felt right to me. Now…" he looked towards the door to Satine's room with a pained expression.

His Master immediately understood. "Now that you've met Satine you've realized there might be another path that feels equally right, is that it?"

"I…yes." he finally admitted "I think I'm falling in love with her."

Qui-Gon was silent. When Obi-Wan looked up he expected to see disapproval on his Master's face, but all he found there was empathy. It gave him the courage to continue.

I know I can't be a Jedi and have an attachment to Satine. I know that I must choose, but how? If I leave Satine I will loose my heart and if I leave the Jedi I will loose my soul. What do you do when there is no good choice?"

Qui-Gon leaned forward, his eyes full of compassion. "Unfortunately one of life's harshest realities is that sometimes there are no good choices. Sometimes you have to consider your options and pick whichever one is the least objectionable."

A thick lump formed in Obi-Wan's throat. When he was able to control his voice again he answered quietly. "Yes, Master."

Qui-Gon nodded. He placed a strong hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and as he did so, a soothing sense of peace settled over him. Comfort and encouragement flowed freely across their bond. "I suggest you meditate on this. Ask for guidance as you decide and the Force will be with you."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The moonlight was almost as bright as day when Obi-Wan opened the door and tiptoed across the rooftop in search of a quiet place to meditate. Though he had tossed and turned for hours, sleep continued to eluded him so he came outside to think under the stars. They shimmered in the night sky like diamonds and as always he marveled at the sight. Surely he would find an answer here. He settled down, relaxed, and opened his heart and mind.

As Obi-Wan sank into the warm light of the Force, it coiled around him like an embrace. It was a relief to surrender himself to the peace he always found there and once his mind was settled and calm, he contemplated his dilemma. But try as he might he was unable to focus his thoughts effectively.

Images of the Temple, Satine, Qui-Gon, and Yoda swirled through his mind like falling leaves that danced on the wind just out of his grasp. When he tried to examine any of them more closely, they slipped through his fingers. Even though he used every meditation technique he knew nothing seemed to work. It was terribly frustrating!

For the first time in his life he came out of his meditations feeling just as conflicted as before. Perhaps he needed to try harder. For the next few days he tried multiple times to meditate always with the same results. Then, just as he was beginning to loose faith that the Force wold guide him this time, something happened.

That morning started like any other. Obi-Wan got up, showered, brushed his teeth, dressed, and checked his reflection in the mirror noticing with dismay that his wet hair was sticking up in a multitude of unruly copper spikes all over his head. A few quick strokes with a comb took care of the worst of it. Then he attacked the long strand of unbound hair from his padawan's braid wincing as the comb caught on several knots. How that small section of hair managed to get so tangled every time he washed it was a mystery to him. As he stood idly braiding it back up again he noticed a stray hair protruding from his jawline. He leaned forward to examine it more closely and noted with satisfaction that the fuzz on his upper lip seemed to be coming in darker all the time.

Qui-Gon exited the refresher and stood in the doorway watching him as he leaned against the frame. Amusement twinkled in his eyes. "Thinking of growing a beard Padawan?"

Obi-Wan shrugged and turned back to the mirror. "I don't know. Maybe someday." He cocked his head to one side and ran a hand over his still smooth chin. "Do you think I should?"

"It's up to you of course, but in my opinion a beard gives a man a certain air of wisdom and authority." His Master walked over to take a closer look at the celebrated whisker and nodded his head in approval. Then he ran a hand over his own chin and added. "I may be a bit biased on the subject, however. Perhaps you should ask Master Windu." He winked. It was the last thing Obi-Wan remembered before the vision struck.

Right away he knew that the images he saw were of the future. He found himself in a darkened pavilion where a group of people stood around a blazing funeral pyre. Master Yoda and Master Windu were among those present and Obi-Wan wondered whose funeral it was for both of them to be in attendance. As he looked around he saw a small boy sitting apart from the others. He looked very sad and soon a benevolent looking older gentleman who was standing nearby took notice and went over to comfort him.

"There, there young man." he handed the boy a handkerchief. "Are you alright?" He asked sympathetically. He looked towards the burning pyre. "You were going to be his padawan weren't you?"

The child nodded. "Yes. But the council has refused to train me now."

The older man looked surprised. "Not train you? That's terrible!" he exclaimed. "How could they be so cruel to a poor, innocent child?" He crossed his arms and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"They said I was strong in the Force, but…" he shrugged and his voice trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished.

The man looked at him curiously. "Yes, I daresay you are strong. Remarkably strong. Where did you come from child? Could you go back home to your family?"

"My mother is a slave." he said sadly. "If I go back home now her owner will make me work for him again. Then I'd never be free!"

"How awful. Slavery truly is an abomination." The man was quiet for a while, obviously deep in thought. When he turned back to the boy there was something in his eyes that caught Obi-Wan's attention, a sly calculating look behind the mask of concern that made his blood run cold. "I have an idea." he smiled a little too kindly. "How would you like to come live with me? The Jedi aren't the only ones who know about the Force. I could train you myself."

The boy looked up with surprise. "You know about the Force?"

"Of course I do, my dear boy!" he chuckled and patted the child on the shoulder. For a split second his eyes flashed a sickly yellow. "You'll make a wonderful apprentice."

Then, the scene changed and suddenly the entire galaxy lay spread out before him like a map. An ominous darkness began to gather in the core and slowly spread outward, overtaking planets and entire systems as it went until finally the whole galaxy depended into night.

What was the source of this darkness Obi-Wan wondered? Surely such evil didn't just appear out of nowhere. Jumbled images followed in quick succession; a man kneeling before a cloaked figurer, the great hall of the Temple eerily silent and littered with bodies, a succession of planets being consumed by a massive explosions and millions of innocent lives lost. These scenes were terribly distressing, especially the bodies in the Temple, but it was what Obi-Wan saw next that profoundly disturbed him more than anything else.

Silently he asked the Force to show him the catalyst that had set all of these events in motion and suddenly he found himself on Mandalore again. He handed his light saber to Qui-Gon at the end of their mission and watched as his Master sadly bid him farewell and left for Coruscant without him. Satine stood by his side and gripped his hand tightly in support. Scenes of their life together followed. Once Satine convinced the people of Mandalore to embrace a more peaceful lifestyle, they were able to lead happy lives blissfully unaffected by the problems in the rest of the galaxy.

Guilt unlike anything he'd ever felt before gripped his heart. "No!" he moaned. "Oh, no, no no no…"

"Obi-Wan!" His Master shouted. Someone was shaking him and in an instant he was back in his room, the floor hard under his back. He sat up too quickly, and gasped for breath feeling quite disoriented. Qui-Gon was kneeling next to him with a terrified expression on his face.

A wave of nausea washed over him and he barely had time to turn his head before retching into the waste receptacle next to the dresser. Questions whirled through his head. When he was finally able to speak again he choked out, "It was a vision. A terrible vision!"

"You stopped breathing! I've never known anyone to do that before." Qui-Gon blurted out. "What did you see?"

Obi-Wan thought for a moment. "The future. At least, a potential future." What was it Yoda always said? Always in motion the future is. That gave him hope. If there was a possibility that this future might be avoided somehow then he certainly wanted to do it.

"It was horrible Master. So much darkness. So much evil…"

"Qui-Gon sat back looked at him closely. "Perhaps you'd better show me."

Obi-Wan leaned back against the dresser and closed his eyes. He lowered his mental shields and a moment later felt Qui-Gon gently brush his mind and access his memories. Thought their bond he could feel his shock and horror as each scene unfolded. When it was over, his Master sat for a moment without speaking, silently calming himself and releasing his emotions into the Force.

"Do you think all those things I saw will actually happen?" Obi-Wan asked after a time. He could scarcely believe what he'd seen.

"It's difficult to say. Visions of the future are notoriously hard to interpret Obi-Wan. Each decision we make, no matter how insignificant it seems, can impact events in ways that are impossible to predict. Usually I don't set much stock by visions, but this one…" Qui-Gon's eyebrows knit together. "This was more vivid and detailed than any I've ever experienced."

"So it's true then. The galaxy will fall into darkness and millions will die including the Jedi if I leave the order to be with Satine? How is it possible that one person's decision could effect the entire fate of so many?"

Qui-Gon looked away for a moment and when he turned back his eyes were full of sorrow. "Each person's life touches so many others and when they aren't there it leaves a terrible hole. I don't know if this future will come to pass as it did in your vision Padawan. It's impossible to say, but you have to consider the possibility that it might. And, if it does, would you be able to live with the knowledge that you played a part in it."

No. There was no way he could live with himself if he knew his decision would hurt so many. After weeks of debate, he finally had an answer. Once again, he thought of Qui-Gon's words: "…sometimes there are no good choices. Sometimes you have to consider your options and pick whichever one is the least objectionable." This was one of those times. Duty must come first no matter how badly it hurt him. But at that realization, he felt every shard of his broken heart shatter like glass.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Qui-Gon insisted that he rest after the intense vision he had experienced and he felt so awful about everything that he hadn't objected. The knowledge that he would have to leave Satine at the end of the mission weighed heavily on Obi-Wan's mind and he spent the rest of the morning laying on his sleep couch going over everything in his mind and wondering at the will of the Force. Before long, the shock and sorrow he had initially felt began to turn to anger and resentment.

Why had this happened? If attachments were forbidden then why had the Force allowed him to meet Satine in the first place? Why hadn't some other Jedi team been sent on this mission? If only Garren or Bant and their masters had been chosen he wouldn't be in this situation! Of course he knew these thoughts were pointless. It wasn't his place to question the will of the Force and Jedi didn't waste time dwelling on things that might have been. Guilt joined the plethora of emotions he was experiencing and he tried hard to accept his feelings with limited success.

Later that morning Qui-Gon received a com that the ship was almost ready and, welcoming the distraction it provided, Obi-Wan jumped at the chance to go to the repair shop to check on their progress. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone brightly on the picturesque streets as Obi-Wan made his way through the city but he hardly noticed. A cold emptiness had begun to grow in the aching void where his heart had been while all around him the business of life continued. People in cafes chatted while waiting for their lunch. A group of students from a local school tramped along the sidewalk laughing and joking together. A man whistled a happy tune as he walked purposefully on his way. How could everything go on as if nothing had happened? What was he going to tell Satine?

According to the repair shop, the ship would be ready the following morning. He walked around with one of the mechanics and looked at the work that had been done on the laser cannons and the defense shields. They had done an exceptionally good job and he thanked them before leaving. Still lost in thought about his problems, Obi-Wan didn't notice the two bounty hunters sitting at a cafe across the street. They watched as he passed by, then fell in step several paces behind him as he headed back towards the hotel.

...

Qui-Gon looked up from his data pad as Obi-Wan palmed the door open. "How's the ship?"

"It will be ready in the morning." Obi-Wan answered. "They've done very good work."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Qui-Gon nodded his head in acknowledgement and gave him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He seemed ill at ease. Something had happened.

"What is it Master?" he asked apprehensively.

"There is news from Coruscant. I just heard from Master Yoda and apparently the clans on Mandalore have contacted the Jedi Council and agreed to participate in peace talks. In the last few months things have degenerated into such chaos that even the most warlike among them can't bear the violence anymore. Clan Kryze has requested that Satine return and represent them. They are willing to embrace her pacifist ideas."

"How can we be sure they are serious?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously. "This could be a trap!"

"They have requested a team of Jedi peacekeepers to oversee the proceedings."

Obi-Wan nodded feeling relieved. "Well, I suppose that's sensible. Who will be joining us?"

Qui-Gon hesitated. "The team will consist of Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Micah Giiett. Our presence is requested back at the Temple."

"What?" Obi-Wan's head snapped up in shock. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing. "We've been excluded?! You can't be serious!"

Qui-Gon looked at him sharply. "It isn't our place to question the Council's decision, Padawan. Our services are needed elsewhere. We are to escort the Duchess back to Mandalore and then return to the Temple for further instruction."

It couldn't be! After all they had done to protect Satine they were just expected to drop her off and go home? Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest but Satine picked that exact moment to enter their room through the adjoining door. As she did so, the in-house com unit next to the sleep couch started buzzing. She was standing right next to it and picked it up on the second signal.

Obi-Wan was still focused on the conversation they had been having a moment before. He lowered his voice so that Satine couldn't hear. "I don't mean to be disrespectful Master, but the team they are sending is unfamiliar with the situation. We could provide valuable information about the…"

"I have been in contact with the Council every few days Obi-Wan. They are well aware of what has been going on and any new information that they need we can give them before we leave for Coruscant." Qui-Gon said firmly.

Obi-Wan looked at the floor. So this was it. Their time together had finally reached an end. He was so upset he couldn't put his feelings into words. His Master continued, but the tone of his voice had softened. "I'm sympathetic to your feelings, and I did ask if we could join the team that is staying on Mandalore but the Council insisted that we return." Qui-Gon placed a strong hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know you only want what's best for the Duchess but I fear your judgment on this matter is clouded Padawan."

Obi-Wan fought hard to bite back the tears that blurred his vision and nodded. A loud click interrupted the silence as Satine turned off the com and turned around.

"Who was that?" Qui-Gon asked.

"It was the front desk. The pizza you ordered is here and they're sending the delivery beings up right now."

Obi-Wan glanced up in surprise. How odd. Qui-Gon hated pizza. The older Jedi seemed confused "I didn't order any pizza." They looked at each other, immediately on alert. A split second later there was a knock at the door. Someone was outside! "The bounty hunters!" they said in unison.

They barely had time to activate their lightsabers when suddenly the door burst open with a terrific crash. Obi-Wan shoved Satine onto the floor between the sleep couches and joined Qui-Gon in defecting the blaster fire that rained through the open doorway.

The Barabel, with a blaster in each hand, continued shooting at them while the Chiss somersaulted across the room to their right. It was clear she was trying to get around them to where Satine lay hidden on the floor.

Obi-Wan saw her intentions and tackled her before she made it very far. He had been trained in hand to hand combat, but this was different than anything he'd ever experienced before. He tried his best to hold her down, but she fought like a jexxel kicking, scratching, biting, and at one point pulling his padawan's braid so hard he was sure she would rip it out. He held on for all he was worth, until suddenly she pretended to crumple under him and screamed in pain. He lifted his weight for a moment but instantly realized his mistake as she twisted out of his grasp and kneed him in the groin. Momentarily stunned, he wasn't ready when she pulled a jagged looking vibroblade out of her boot and lunged at him.

Suddenly she froze, held still by the invisible bonds of the Force. She struggled wildly and unmasked fury raged in her eyes. In an instant she flew across the room and slammed against the wall next to the other bounty hunter who was also restrained. Her hand, which was still wrapped around the hilt of her weapon, opened abruptly and the vibroblade clattered to the floor. How had his Master managed that, Obi-Wan wondered as he writhed in pain. There was still so much he had to learn about the Force! Qui-Gon's low, authoritative voice could be heard even though he spoke softly.

"What do you mean, the bounty's been cancelled?" The Barabel hissed.

"I mean the clan that hired you has changed it's mind. They want her returned unharmed. If you interfere with her in anyway you will be in violation of innumerable intergalactic laws."

"Don't believe him you karking fool!" the Chiss exclaimed. "He'll say anything to get out of here with her alive."

"Jedi don't lie Jerra. I'm not going to prison for murder." the Barabel hissed. "Alderaan has the death penalty!"

"Indeed they do." Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "As it stands now you're already in quite a lot of trouble with the local authorities for breaking and entering, attempted murder, and destruction of property. No need to make things worse."

A moment later, the police came rushing into the room. Obi-Wan finally managed to struggle to his feet. He went over to check on Satine. She was scared and upset, but otherwise unharmed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The law enforcement officers listened to Qui-Gon's account of what had happened and took the two bounty hunters into custody. As they hustled the criminals out of the room one of them accidentally brushed Qui-Gon's arm. He winced and sucked in a quick breath through his teeth. Obi-Wan felt a searing pain shoot across their training bond.

"Master! You're hurt!" he exclaimed with concern. Qui-Gon gingerly touched his left arm near the shoulder where a blaster mark marred the light colored material of his tunic. His hand came away covered with blood. Satine gasped.

Qui-Gon tried to reassure her. "Not to worry. It's only a flesh wound. I should be able to heal it quickly using the Force."

"Sit down and let me take a look." Obi-Wan urged. He gently tore at the hole in the bloody sleeve until Qui-Gon's upper arm was visible. A blaster shot had grazed him and initially cauterized the wound, but when it was jostled, the burned flesh had cracked open and now was bleeding profusely.

"We should clean it." Obi-Wan reached for his bag where he kept the first-aid kit. He took out some antiseptic spray, bacta gel and a roll of gauze bandages. Working quickly, he soon had the wound cleansed and bandaged neatly.

"Well done, Padawan." Qui-Gon smiled as he studied his arm. Obi-Wan could tell he was still in pain, but at least the throbbing had dulled somewhat.

"I don't know how to thank you both." Satine said quietly. "Hopefully now that those two are in custody we can stop worrying for a little while."

Qui-Gon looked pointedly at Obi-Wan, giving him the opportunity to tell her they would be returning to Mandalore but he couldn't seem to find his voice. Finally the older man cleared his throat and told her himself. "Actually, I just received some news that I hope will be welcome. Your clan has been in contact with the Jedi High Council. They are willing to join in peace talks with the rest of the clans and would like for you to represent them…."

…

They would be leaving in the morning. Obi-Wan's heart was heavy as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Satine had put on a good face in front of his Master. She had been amazed that the people of Mandalore were willing to consider her pacifist ideas and very glad that the Jedi were sending a team to oversee the peace talks. However when Qui-Gon finally told her they would be returning to Coruscant immediately after they took her home, he could tell her heart was breaking. She retreated to her room to pack, and they didn't see her again until it was time for dinner when she opened the door just long enough to tell them she had a headache and wasn't hungry. He could tell from the puffy look of her eyes that she had been crying.

"You know what I feel the worst about, Master?" he'd said morosely as they got ready for bed.

"What?"

"That I don't even get to say a proper goodbye. I'll probably never see her again and the last time we'll have together will be in front of the Jedi peacekeeping team."

Qui-Gon had paused, stock still for a moment before acknowledged his statement with a quiet nod. While he was sympathetic, there wasn't much he could do about it. He placed a warm hand on his shoulder, flooding their bond with soothing comfort and reassurance and bid him goodnight.

Morning light was just starting to creep through the window when he finally got up. Obi-Wan's bag was already packed, so after a quick shower he decided to meditate to alleviate some of the emotions he was feeling.

More than an hour later, he finished his meditation and opened his eyes. He felt somewhat more at peace, but couldn't seem to relieve the aura of sadness that surrounded him. Perhaps it would come with time. He uncrossed his legs and stood up from the floor noticing for the first time that Qui-Gon was still asleep. Obi-Wan glanced at the chrono with a frown. Qui-Gon was always an early riser and it was very unlike him to sleep this late.

"Master?" he called softly. "It's time to get up." There was no response so he tried again. "Master!" he raised his voice a little this time. One of Qui-Gon's eyes peeled open. He ran a hand over his face and ruffled his unbound hair, then slowly sat up.

"What is it Padawan?" he finally asked in a gravely voice.

"It's getting late. We have to pick up the ship in an hour." When this information failed to get much of a response, Obi-Wan began to worry in earnest. "Are you feeling alright Master?"

"I've certainly felt better." Qui-Gon replied as he gingerly rubbed his injured arm. He picked the end of the gauze loose and unwound the bandage. The skin around the angry looking wound had grown red and swollen. It was hot to the touch, still oozing blood, and looked far worse than it had yesterday. Obi-Wan pulled a thermometer from the first aid kit and scanned his Master's forehead. 101 degrees.

"Oh, dear.' Obi-Wan fretted. 'I think it's gotten infected." He dug through the first aid kit looking for more bacta gel and the all-purpose antibiotic they carried for just such occasions. How had this happened, he wondered. It seemed strange that such an insignificant wound had gotten so badly infected overnight when it had been treated promptly. He found what he was looking for and handed the bottle of medicine to Qui-Gon but to his surprise he waved it away.

"I can't take that." he said as he waved it away.

Obi-Wan looked at the bottle in his hand with confusion. "Why ever not? If you don't take it, it might get worse. Infections can be serious!"

"I know, Padawan, but I'd rather see a healer about this."

Obi-Wan could scarcely believe what he was hearing. His mouth hung open. Getting an appointment with a healer would take time that they didn't have. They needed to pick up the ship and be on their way. The peace talks were scheduled to start on Mandalore in one week and they had just enough time to get Satine home if they left this morning.

"But what about the ship? We have to leave this morning if Satine is going to make it home in time to attend the peace talks."

Qui-Gon shrugged slightly. "I suppose you'll just have to escort her back to Mandalore by yourself. I can catch the next transport as soon as I've had this arm looked at and meet you there."

"But…" Obi-Wan began to object and then paused. Suddenly it all made sense. Qui-Gon's sympathetic looks the night before. The pat on his shoulder before he went to sleep. The raging infection in a simple wound that could easily have been healed with the help of the Force that now was the cause of him having a whole week alone in hyperspace with Satine. A surge of affection for his Master ran through him.

"Alright Master."

"Good." Qui-Gon nodded. "You'd better get moving if you're going to get started on time."

"Of course." Obi-Wan hurried towards the door then stopped. "Master?"

Qui-Gon looked up expectantly.

"Thank you."

A slight smile played around the edges of Qui-Gon's mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about," he answered dismissively, "but you're welcome."


End file.
